l^^-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^mm&mm 


MANY  CARGOE 


a       r 


w.w. 

JACOBS 


^^ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


MANY  CARGOES 


MANY  CARGOES 


BY 


W.  W.  JACOBS 


Ninth  Edition. 


^ 


IWcw  ll?orft 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1894,  t895,  J896 
By  Bacheller,  Johnson  &  Bachellef 

Copyright,  1897 
By  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 


PR. 


CONTENTS 


A  CHANGE  OF  TREATMENT               •                   .              .          . 

PAoa 

I 

A  LOVE  PASSAGE                  .                   •                   •              .          . 

lO 

THE  captain's  EXPLOIT                     .                   •              .          , 

26 

CONTRABAND  OF  WAR      .                   .                   •              .          . 

36 

A  BLACK  AFFAIR                  .                   .                   .              .          . 

SO 

THE  SKIPPER  OF  THE  "OSPREY*.                   .              • 

65 

IN  BORROWED  PLUMES    .                   •                   .              .          . 

.     78 

THE   BOATSWAIN'S  WATCH                   .                    .               .          . 

93 

LOW  WATER         ..... 

108 

IN  MID-ATLANTIC                .                   •                   .              . 

.    120 

AFTER  THE  INQUEST         .                   .                   .              . 

129 

IN  LIMEHOUSE  REACH      .                   ... 

.    140 

AN  ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT             .                   . 

.    152 

THE  COOK  OF  THE  "GANNET"       . 

.    163 

A   BENEFIT  PERFORMANCE                  .                    •               . 

.    173 

A  CASE  OF  DESERTION     .                   .                   •              .          . 

>    190 

OUTSAILED          .                   •                   •                   •              . 

>    196 

MATED                   .                   •                   •                   •              • 

>    205 

THE  RIVAL  BEAUTIES        .                   •                   •              •          . 

,    216 

MRS.   bunker's  chaperon                 •                    •              • 

•    226 

A  HARBOUR  OF  REFUGE .                  •                  •             • 

.    *37 

576403 

LISRARf 

MANY  CARGOES 


A    CHANGE   OF  TREATMENT 

"'\7'ES,  I've  sailed  under  some  'cute  skippers  in  my 
X  time,"  said  the  night-watchman  ;  "  them  that  go 
down  in  big  ships  see  the  wonders  o'  the  deep,  you  know," 
he  added  with  a  sudden  chuckle,  "  but  the  one  I'm  going 
to  tell  you  about  ought  never  to  have  been  trusted  out 
without  'is  ma.  A  good  many  o'  my  skippers  had  fads, 
but  this  one  was  the  worst  I  ever  sailed  under. 

"It's  some  few  years  ago  now;  I'd  shipped  on  his 
barque,  the  John  Elliott,  as  slow-going  an  old  tub  as  ever 
I  was  aboard  of,  when  I  wasn't  in  quite  a  fit  an'  proper 
state  to  know  what  I  was  doing,  an'  I  hadn't  been  in  her 
two  days  afore  I  found  out  his  'obby  through  overhearing 
a  few  remarks  made  by  the  second  mate,  who  came  up 
from  dinner  in  a  hurry  to  make  'em.  '  I  don't  mind 
saws  an*  knives  hung  round  the  cabin,'  he  ses  to  the 
fust  mate,  '  but  when  a  chap  has  a  'uman  'and  alongside 
'is  plate,  studying  it  while  folks  is  at  their  food,  it's  more 
than  a  Christian  man  can  stand.' 

"'That's  nothing,'  ses  the  fust  mate,  who  had  sailed 
with  the  barque  afore.  *  He's  half  crazy  on  doctoring. 
We   nearly   had   a   mutiny   aboard    once   owing  to    his 

B 


t  MANY  CARGOES 

wanting  to  hold  a  post  -  mortem  on  a  man  what  fell  from 
the  mast-head  Wanted  to  see  what  the  poor  feller 
died  of.' 

"  *  I  call  it  unwholesome/  ses  the  second  mate  very 
savage.  'He  offered  me  a  pill  at  breakfast  the  size  cf  a 
small  marble ;  quite  put  me  off  my  feed,  it  did.' 

**  Of  course,  the  skipper's  fad  soon  got  known  for'ard. 
But  I  didn't  think  much  about  it,  till  one  day  I  seed  old 
Dan'l  Dennis  sitting  on  a  locker  reading.  Every  now  and 
then  he'd  shut  the  book,  an'  look  up,  closing  'is  eyes, 
an'  moving  his  lips  like  a  hen  drinking,  an'  then  look  down 
at  the  book  again. 

" '  Why,  Dan,'  I  ses,  '  what 's  up  ?  you  ain't  laming 
lessons  at  your  time  o'  life?' 

" '  Yes,  1  am,'  ses  Dan  very  soft  '  You  might  hear  me 
say  it,  it 's  this  one  about  heart  disease.' 

"He  hands  over  the  book,  which  was  stuck  full  o'  all 
kinds  o'  diseases,  and  winks  at  me  'ard- 

" '  Picked  it  up  on  a  book-stall,'  he  ses ;  then  he  shut  'is 
eyes. an'  said  his  piece  wonderful.  It  made  me  quite  queer 
to  listen  to  'im.  'That's  how  I  feel,'  ses  he,  when  he'd 
finished.  'Just  strength  enough  to  get  to  bed.  Lend  a 
hand,  Bill,  an'  go  an'  fetch  the  doctor.' 

"Then  I  see  his  little  game,  but  I  wasn't  going  to  run 
any  risks,  so  I  just  mentioned,  permiscous  like,  to  the  cook 
as  old  Dan  seemed  rather  queer,  an'  went  back  an'  tried  to 
borrer  the  book,  being  always  fond  of  reading.  Old  Dan 
pretended  he  was  too  ill  to  hear  what  I  was  saying,  an' 
afore  I  could  take  it  away  from  him,  the  skipper  comes 
hurrying  down  with  a  bag  in  his  'and. 

"  '  What 's  the  matter,  my  man  ? '  ses  he,  '  what 's  the 
matter  ? ' 

" '  I  'm  all  right,  sir,'  ses  old  Dan,  •  'cept  that  I  've  been 
swoonding  away  a  little.' 


A  CHANGE  OF  TREATMENT  s 

" '  Tell  me  exactly  how  you  feel,'  ses  the  skipper,  feeling 
his  pulse. 

"Then  old  Dan  said  his  piece  over  to  him,  an'  the 
skipper  shook  his  head  an'  looked  very  solemn. 

"  *  How  long  have  you  been  like  this  ? '  he  ses. 

"•Four  or  five  years,  sir,'  ses  Dan.  *It  ain't  nothing 
serious,  sir,  is  it  ? ' 

"'You  lie  quite  still,'  ses  the  skipper,  putting  a  little 
trumpet  thing  to  his  chest  an'  then  listening.  '  Urn  !  there 's 
serious  mischief  here  I'm  afraid,  the  prognotice  is  very 
bad.' 

"  *  Prog  what,  sir  ? '  ses  Dan,  staring. 

"'Prognotice,'  ses  the  skipper,  at  least  I  think  that's 
the  word  he  said.  'You  keep  perfectly  still,  an'  I'll  go 
an'  mix  you  up  a  draught,  and  tell  the  cook  to  get  some 
strong  beef-tea  on.' 

"Well,  the  skipper  'ad  no  sooner  gone,  than  Cornish 
Harry,  a  great  big  lumbering  chap  o'  six  feet  two,  goes  up 
to  old  Dan,  an'  he  ses,  '  Gimme  that  book.' 

"  '  Go  away,'  says  Dan,  '  don't  come  worrying  'ere ;  you 
'eard  the  skipper  say  how  bad  my  prognotice  was.' 

"  •  You  lend  me  the  book,'  ses  Harry,  ketching  hold  of 
him,  '  or  else  I  'U  bang  you  first,  and  split  to  the  skipper 
arterwards.  I  believe  I'm  a  bit  consumptive.  Anyway, 
I  'm  going  to  see.' 

"He  dragged  the  book  away  from  the  old  man,  and 
began  to  study.  There  was  so  many  complaints  in  it  he 
was  almost  tempted  to  have  something  else  instead  of 
consumption,  but  he  decided  on  that  at  last,  an'  he  got 
a  cough  what  worried  the  fo'c'sle  all  night  long,  an'  the 
next  day,  when  the  skipper  came  down  to  see  Dan,  he 
could  'ardly  'ear  hisself  speak. 

"  •  That 's  a  nasty  cough  you  *ve  got,  my  man,'  ses  ho, 
looking  at  Harry. 


4  MANY  CARGOES 

"  *  Oh,  It 's  nothing,  sir,'  ses  Harry,  careless  like.  *  I  Vo 
•ad  it  for  months  now  off  and  on.  I  think  it's  perspiring 
so  of  a  night  does  it.' 

**  *  What  ?'  ses  the  skipper.    •  Do  you  perspire  of  a  night  ?» 

"'Dredful,'  ses  Harry.  'You  could  wring  the  clo'es 
out.     I  s'pose  it's  healthy  for  me,  ain't  it,  sir?* 

'"Undo  your  shirt,'  ses  the  skipper,  going  over  to  him, 
an'  sticking  the  trumpet  agin  him.  'Now  take  a  deep 
breath.     Don't  cough.' 

" '  I  can't  help  it,  sir,'  ses  Harry,  '  it  will  come.  Seems 
to  tear  me  to  pieces.* 

•' '  You  get  to  bed  at  once,*  says  the  skipper,  taking  away 
the  trumpet,  an'  shaking  his  'ed.  'It's  a  fortunate  thing 
for  you,  my  lad,  you  're  in  skilled  hands.  With  care,  I 
believe  I  can  pull  you  round.  How  does  that  medicine 
suit  you,  Dan  ? ' 

"  '  Beautiful,  sir,'  says  Dan.  '  It 's  wonderful  soothing, 
I  slep'  like  a  new-born  babe  arter  it' 

"'I'll  send  you  some  more,'  ses  the  skipper.  'You're 
not  to  get  up  mind,  either  of  you.' 

" '  All  right,  sir,'  ses  the  two  in  very  faint  voices,  an'  the 
6kip[)ei  went  away  arter  telling  us  to  be  careful  not  to  make 
a  noise. 

"  We  all  thought  it  a  fine  joke  at  first,  but  the  airs  them 
two  chaps  give  themselves  was  something  sickening.  Being 
in  bed  all  day,  they  was  naturally  wakeful  of  a  night,  and 
they  used  to  call  across  the  fo'c'sle  inquiring  arter  each 
other's  healths,  an'  waking  us  other  chaps  up.  An'  they  'd 
swop  beef-tea  an'  jeUies  with  each  other,  an'  Dan  'ud  try  an' 
coax  a  little  port  wine  out  o'  Harry,  which  he  'ad  to  make 
blood  with,  but  Harry  'ud  say  he  hadn't  made  enough  that 
day,  an'  he'd  drink  to  the  better  health  of  old  Dan's 
prognotice,  an'  smack  his  lips  until  it  drove  us  a'most  crazy 
to  'ear  him. 


A  CHANGE   OF  TREATMENT  | 

"Arter  these  chaps  had  been  ill  two  days,  the  other 

fellers  began  to  put  their  heads  together,  being  maddened 
by  the  smell  o'  beef-tea  an*  the  like,  an'  said  they  was 
going  to  be  ill  too,  and  both  the  invalids  got  into  a  fearful 
State  of  excitement. 

" '  You  '11  only  spoil  it  for  all  of  us,'  ses  Harry,  '  and  you 
don't  know  what  to  have  without  the  book.* 

"  *  It 's  all  very  well  doing  your  work  as  well  as  our  own,' 
ses  one  of  the  men.  '  It 's  our  turn  now.  It 's  time  you 
two  got  well.' 

'"  Well?*  ses  Harry,  'welll  Why  you  silly  iggemerant 
chaps,  we  shan't  never  get  well,  people  with  our  complaint* 
never  do.     You  ought  to  know  that.' 

" '  Well,  I  shall  split,*  ses  one  of  them. 

"  *  You  do ! '  ses  Harry,  '  you  do,  an'  1 11  put  a  'ed  on 
you  that  all  the  port  wine  and  jellies  in  the  world  wouldn*t 
cure.  'Sides,  don't  you  think  the  skipper  knows  what 's  the 
matter  with  us  ? ' 

"'Afore  the  other  chap  could  reply,  the  skipper  hisself 
comes  down,  accompanied  by  the  fust  mate,  with  a  look 
on  his  face  which  made  Harry  give  the  deepest  and 
hollowest  cough  he'd  ever  done. 

"  *  What  they  reely  want,'  ses  the  skipper,  turning  to  the 
mate,  'is  keerful  nussing.' 

"  *  I  wish  you  'd  let  me  nuss  'em,'  ses  the  fust  mate, 
'  only  ten  minutes — I  'd  put  'em  both  on  their  legs,  an' 
running  for  their  lives  into  the  bargain,  in  ten  minutes.' 

*' '  Hold  your  tongue,  sir,'  ses  the  skipper ;  '  what  you  say 
is  unfeeling,  besides  being  an  insult  to  me.  Do  you  think 
I  studied  medicine  all  these  years  without  knowing  when  a 
man 's  ill  ? ' 

"  The  fust  mate  growled  something  and  went  on  deck, 
and  the  skipper  started  examining  of  'em  again.  He  said 
they  was  wonderfully  patient  lying  in  bed  so  long,  an'  he 


6  MANY   CARGOES 

had  'em  wrapped  up  in  bedclo'es  and  carried  on  deck,  so 
as  the  pure  air  could  have  a  go  at  'em.  We  had  to  do  the 
carrying,  an'  there  they  sat,  breathing  the  pure  air,  and 
looking  at  the  fust  mate  out  of  the  corners  of  their  eyes. 
If  they  wanted  anything  from  below  one  of  us  had  to  go 
an'  fetch  it,  an'  by  the  time  they  was  taken  down  to  bed 
again,  we  ail  resolved  to  be  took  ill  too. 

"  Only  two  of  'em  did  it  though,  for  Harry,  who  was  a 
powerful,  ugly-tempered  chap,  swore  he'd  do  all  sorts  o* 
dreadful  things  to  us  if  we  didn't  keep  well  and  hearty,  an* 
all  'cept  these  two  did.  One  of  'em,  Mike  RafTerty,  laid 
up  with  a  swelling  on  his  ribs,  which  I  knew  myself  he  'ad 
'ad  for  fifteen  years,  and  the  other  chap  had  paralysis.  I 
never  saw  a  man  so  reely  happy  as  the  skipper  was.  He 
was  up  an'  down  with  his  medicines  and  his  instalments 
all  day  long,  and  used  to  make  notes  of  the  cases  in  a 
big  pocket-book,  and  read  'em  to  the  second  mate  at  meal- 
times. 

"  The  fo'c'sle  had  been  turned  into  hospital  about  a  week, 
an'  I  was  on  deck  doing  some  odd  job  or  the  other, 
when  the  cook  comes  up  to  me  pulling  a  face  as  long 
as  a  fiddle. 

" '  'Nother  invalid,'  ses  he  j  '  fust  mate  *s  gone  stark, 
staring  mad  ! ' 

•"Mad? 'ses  I. 

"  •  Yes,'  ses  he.  *  He 's  got  a  big  basin  in  the  galley,  an' 
he's  laughing  like  a  hyener  an'  mixing  bilge-water  an'  ink, 
an'  paraffin  an'  butter  an'  soap  an'  all  sorts  o'  things 
up  together.  The  smell 's  enough  to  kill  a  man  ;  I  've  had 
to  come  away.' 

"Curious-like,  I  jest  walked  up  to  the  galley  an'  puts 
vc.y  'ed  in,  an'  there  was  the  mate  as  the  cook  said,  smiling 
all  over  his  face,  and  ladling  some  thick  sticky  stufif  into  a 
•tone  bottle. 


A  CHANGE  OF  TREATMENT  7 

** '  How 's  the  pore  sufferers,  sir  ? '  ses  he,  stepphig  out  of 
the  galley  jest  as  the  skipper  was  going  by. 

"  *  They  're  very  bad ;  but  I  hope  for  the  best,'  ses  the 
skipper,  looking  at  him  hard  'I'm  glad  to  see  you'vo 
turned  a  bit  more  feeling.' 

"•Yes,  sir,'  ses  the  mate.  'I  didn't  think  so  at  fust, 
but  I  can  see  now  them  chaps  is  all  very  ill.  You'll 
s'cuse  me  saying  it,  but  I  don't  quite  approve  of  your 
treatment.' 

"  I  thought  the  skipper  would  ha'  bust 

•' '  My  treatment  ? '  ses  he.  '  My  treatment  ?  What  do 
you  know  about  it  ? ' 

"  '  You  're  treating  'em  wrong,  sir,'  ses  the  mate.  *  I  have 
here'  (patting  the  jar)  'a  remedy  which  'ud  cure  them 
all  if  you'd  only  let  me  try  it.' 

•' '  Pooh ! '  ses  the  skipper.  '  One  medicine  cure  all 
diseases !  The  old  story.  What  is  it  ?  Where  'd  you  get  it 
from  ? '  ses  he. 

"  *  I  brought  the  ingredients  aboard  with  me,'  ses  the 
mate.  '  It 's  a  wonderful  medicine  discovered  by  my  grand- 
mother, an'  if  I  might  only  try  it  I  'd  thoroughly  cure  them 
pore  chaps.' 

"  'Rubbish  1'  ses  the  skipper. 

"  'Very  well,  sir,'  ses  the  mate,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
*0'  course,  if  you  won't  let  me  you  won't.  Still  I  tell 
you,  if  you  'd  let  me  try  I  'd  cure  'em  all  in  two  days. 
That's  a  fair  challenge.' 

"Well,  they  talked,  and  talked,  and  talked,  until  at  last 
the  skipper  give  way  and  went  down  below  with  the  mate, 
and  told  the  chaps  they  was  to  take  the  new  medicine  for 
two  days,  jest  to  prove  the  mate  was  wrong. 

"•Let  pore  old  Dan  try  it  first,  sir,'  ses  Harry,  starting 
up,  an'  sniffing  as  the  mate  took  the  cork  out ;  '  he 's  been 
awful  bad  since  you  've  been  away.* 


I  MANY  CARGOES 

**  'Harry's  worse  than  I  am,  sir,*  ses  Dan;  'It's  only  hi& 
kind  heart  that  makes  him  say  that.' 

"'It  don't  matter  which  is  fust,'  ses  the  mate,  filling 
a  tablespoon  with  it,  'there's  plenty  for  all.  Now, 
Harry.' 

"  '  Take  it,'  ses  the  skipper. 

"  Harry  took  it,  an'  the  fuss  he  made  you  'd  ha'  thought 
he  was  swallering  a  football.     It  stuck  all  round  his  mouth, 
and  he  carried  on  so  dredful  that  the  other  invalids  was 
half  sick  afore  it  came  to  them. 
•  "^'''Bf^he  time  the  other  three  *ad  'ad  theirs  it  was  as 

•i^t^  good  as  a  pantermime,  an'  the  mate  corked  the  bottle  up, 
and  went  an'  sat  down  on  a  locker  while  they  tried  to  rinse 
their  mouths  out  with  the  luxuries  which  had  been  given 
'em.  -y.^.^ 

"  'How  do  you  feel?'  ses  the  skipper. 

" '  I  'm  dying,'  ses  Dan. 

"'So'm  I,'  ses  Harry;  'I  b'leeve  the  mate's  pisoned  us.' 

"The  skipper  looks  over  at  the  mate  very  stem  an' 
shakes  his  'ed  slowly.  .f^ 

"  'It 's  all  right,'  ses  the  mate.  'It's  always  like  that  the 
first  dozen  or  so  doses.' 

" '  Dozen  or  so  doses  ! '  ses  old  Dan,  in  a  far-away  voice. 

"  •  It  has  to  be  taken  every  twenty  mmutcs,'  ses  the  mate, 
puljing  out  his  pipe  and  lighting  it ;  an'  the  four  men 
groaned  all  together. 

"'I  can't  allow  it,'  ses  the  skipper,  'I  can't  allow  it 
Men's  lives  mustn't  be  sacrificed  for  an  experiment.' 

""T  ain't  a  experiment,'  ses  j|i|le.  mate  very  indignant, 
•it's  an  old  family  medicine.' 

"•Well,  they  shan't  have  any  more,'  ses  the  skipper 
firmly. 

"  '  Look  here,'  ses  the  mate.  '  If  I  kill  any  one  o'  these 
men  I  '11  give  you  twenty  pound.     Honour  bright,  I  wilL' 


A  CHANGE   OF   TREATMENT  9 

" '  Make  it  twenty-five,'  ses  the  skipper,  considering. 

"  '  Very  good,'  ses  the  mate.  '  Twenty-five  ;  I  can't  say 
no  fairer  than  that,  can  I  ?  It's  about  time  for  another 
dose  now.' 

"  He  gave  'em  another  tablespoonful  all  round  as  the 
skipper  left,  an'  the  chaps  what  wasn't  invalids  nearly  bust 
with  joy.  He  wouldn't  let  'em  have  anything  to  take 
the  taste  out,  ^cos  he  said  it  didn't  give  the  medicine  a 
chance,  an'  he  told  us  other  chaps  to  remoye  the  tempta- 
tion, an'  you  bet  we  did.  ,^    »•»■ 

"  After  the  fifth  dose,  the  invalids  began  to  get  desperate, 
an'  when  they  heard  they'd  got  to  be  woke  up  every  twenty 
minutes  through  the  night  to  take  the  stuff,  they  sort 
o'  give  up.  Old  Dan  said  he  felt  a  gentle  glow  stealing 
over  him  and  strengthening  him,  and  Harry  said  that  it  felt 
like  a  healing  balm  to  his  lungs.  All  of  'em  agreed  it  was 
a  wonderful  sort  o'  medicine,  an'  arter  the  sixth  dose 
the  man  with  paralysis  dashed  up  on  deck,  and  ran  up 
the  rigging  like  a  cat.  He  sat  there  for  hours  spitting, 
an'  swore  he'd  brain  anybody  who  mte'trupted  him,  an' 
arter  a  little  while  Mike  Rafferty  went  up  and  j'ined  him, 
an'  it  the  fust  mate's  ears  didn't  burn  by  reason  of  the 
things  them  two  pore  sufferers  said  about  'im,  they  ought 

to.  ^  ,  .. 

"  They  was  all  doing  full  work  next  day,  an'  though, 
o'  course,  the  skipper  saw  how  he'd  been  done,  he 
didn't  allude  to  it.  Not  in  words,  that  is ;  but  when 
a  man  tries  to  make  four  chaps  do  the  work  of  eight, 
an'  hits  'em  when  they  don't,  i4^  a  easy  job  to  see  where 
the  shoe  pinches." 


A  LOVE   PASSAGE 


THE  mate  was  leaning  against  the  side  of  the 
schooner,  idly  watching  a  few  red-coated  Unesnien 
lounging  on  the  Tower  Quay.  Careful  mariners  were 
getting  out  their  side-lights,  and  careless  lightermen  were 
progressing  by  easy  bumps  from  craft  to  craft  on  their 
way  up  the  river.  A  tug,  half  burying  itself  in  its 
own  swell,  rushed  panting  by,  and  a  faint  scream  came 
from  aboard  an  approaching  skiff  as  it  tossed  in  the 
wash. 

*^ Jessica  ahoy ! "  bawled  a  voice  from  the  skiff  as  she 
came  rapidly  alongside. 

The  mate,  roused  from  his  reverie,  mechanically  caught 
the  Hne  and  made  it  fast,  moving  with  alacrity  as  he  saw 
that  the  captain's  daughter  was  one  of  the  occupants. 
Before  he  had  got  over  his  surprise  she  was  on  deck 
with  her  boxes,  and  the  captain  was  paying  off  the 
watermen. 

"You've  seen  my  daughter  Hetty  afore,  haven't  you?" 
said  the  skipper.  "She's  coming  with  us  this  tripi 
You'd  better  go  down  and  make  up  her  bed,  Jack,  ia 
that  spare  bunk." 

**  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  mate  dutifully,  moving  off. 

"Thank  you,  I'll  do  it  myself,"  said  the  scandalised 
Hetty,  stepping  forward  hastily. 

**A8  you  please,"  said  the  skipper,  leading  the  waf 
below.    **Let'8  have  a  light  on,  Jack.* 

10 


A   LOVE   PASSAGE  ii 

The  mate  struck  a  match  on  his  boot,  and  lit  the 
lamp. 

"There's  a  few  things  in  there'll  want  moving,"  said 
the  skipper,  as  he  opened  the  door.  "  I  don't  know  where 
we  're  to  keep  the  onions  now,  Jack." 

"  We  'U  find  a  place  for  'em,"  said  the  mate  confidently, 
as  he  drew  out  a  sack  and  placed  it  on  the  table. 

"I'm  not  going  to  sleep  in  there,"  said  the  visitor 
decidedly,  as  she  peered  in.  "Ugh!  there's  a  beetle. 
Ughl" 

"It's  quite  dead,"  said  the  mate  reassuringly.  "I've 
never  seen  a  live  beetle  on  this  ship." 

"I  want  to  go  home,"  said  the  girl.  "You've  no 
business  to  make  me  come  when  I  don't  want  to." 

"  You  should  behave  yourself  then,"  said  her  father 
magisterially.     "  What  about  sheets.  Jack ;  and  pillers  ?  " 

The  mate  sat  on  the  table,  and,  grasping  his  chin, 
pondered.  Then  as  his  gaze  fell  upon  the  pretty,  in- 
dignant face  of  the  passenger,  he  lost  the  thread  of  his 
ideas. 

"  She  11  have  to  have  some  o*  my  things  for  the  present," 
said  the  skipper. 

"Why  not,"  said  the  mate,  looking  up  again — "why 
not  let  her  have  your  state-room?" 

"'Cos  I  want  it  myself,"  replied  the  other  calmly. 

The  mate  blushed  for  him,  and,  the  girl  leaving  them 
to  arrange  matters  as  they  pleased,  the  two  men,  by 
borrowing  here  and  contriving  there,  made  up  the  bunk. 
The  girl  was  standing  by  the  galley  when  they  went  on 
deck  again,  an  object  of  curious  and  respectful  admiration 
to  the  crew,  who  had  come  on  board  in  the  meantime. 
She  stayed  on  deck  until  the  air  began  to  blow  fresher 
in  the  wider  reaches,  and  then,  with  a  brief  good-night 
to  her  father,  retired  below. 


It  MANY  CARGOES 

"  She  made  up  her  mind  to  come  with  us  rather  suddenly, 
didn't  she  ?  "  inquired  the  mate  after  she  had  gone. 

"  She  didn't  make  up  ter  mind  at  all,"  said  the  skipper  ; 
•*we  did  it  for  her,  me  an'  the  missus.  It's  a  plan  on 
our  part." 

"  Wants  strengthening  ?  "  said  the  mate  suggestively. 

"Well,  the  fact  is,"  said  the  skipper,  "it's  like  this, 
Jack  ;  there 's  a  friend  o'  mine,  a  provision  dealer  in  a 
large  way  o'  business,  wants  to  marry  my  girl,  and  me 
an'  the  missus  want  him  to  marry  her,  so,  o'  course,  she 
wants  to  marry  someone  else.  Me  an'  'er  mother  we  put 
our  'eads  together  and  decided  for  her  to  come  away. 
When  she's  at  'ome,  instead  o'  being  out  with  Towson, 
direckly  her  mother's  back's  turned  she's  out  with  that 
young  sprig  of  a  clerk." 

"Nice-looking  young  feller,  I  s'pose?"  said  the  mate 
somewhat  anxiously. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  the  other  firmly.  "  Looks  as 
though  he  had  never  had  a  good  meal  in  his  life.  Now 
my  friend  Towson,  he's  all  right;  he's  a  man  of  about 
my  own  figger." 

"  She  '11  marry  the  clerk,"  said  the  mate,  with  conviction. 

"  I  '11  bet  you  she  don't,"  said  the  skipper.  "  I  'm  an 
artful  man.  Jack,  an'  I,  generally  speaking,  get  my  own 
way.  I  couldn't  live  with  my  missus  peaceable  if  it  wasn't 
for  management." 

The  mate  smiled  safely  in  the  darkness,  the  skipper's 
management  consisting  chiefly  of  slavish  obedience. 

"I've  got  a  cabinet  fortygraph  of  him  for  the  cabin 
mantel-piece,  Jack,"  continued  the  wily  father.  "  He  gave 
it  to  me  o'  purpose.  She'll  see  that  when  she  won't 
see  the  clerk,  an'  by-and-bye  she'll  fall  into  our  way 
of  thinking.  Anyway,  she's  going  to  stay  here  till  she 
does." 


A  LOVE  PASSAGE  If 

"Yon  know  your  way  about,  cap'n,"  said  the  mate^ 
in  pretended  admiration. 

The  skipper  laid  his  finger  on  his  nose,  and  winked 
at  the  mainmast.  "There's  few  can  show  me  the  way, 
Jack,"  he  answered  softly;  "very  few.  Now  I  want  you 
to  help  me  too ;  I  want  you  to  talk  to  her  a  gr^t  deal." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  the  mate,  winking  at  the  mast  in  his 
turn. 

"Admire  the  fortygraph  on  the  mantel-piece,"  said  the 
skipper. 

"  I  will,"  said  the  other. 

"  Tell  her  about  a  lot  o'  young  girls  you  know  as  married 
young  middle-aged  men,  an'  loved  'em  more  an'  more 
every  day  of  their  lives,"  continued  the  skipper. 

"  Not  another  word,"  said  the  mate.  "  I  know  just 
what  you  want  She  shan't  marry  the  clerk  if  I  can 
help  it." 

The  other  turned  and  gripped  him  warmly  by  the  hand. 
"  If  ever  you  are  a  father  your  elf,  Jack,"  he  said  with 
emotion,  "I  hope  as  how  somebody '11  stand  by  you  as 
you're  standing  by  me." 

The  mate  was  relieved  the  next  day  when  he  saw  the 
portrait  of  Towson.  He  stroked  his  moustache,  and  felt 
that  he  gained  in  good  looks  every  time  he  glanced 
at  it. 

Breakfast  finished,  the  skipper,  who  had  been  on  deck 
all  night,  retired  to  his  bunk.  The  mate  went  on  deck 
and  took  charge,  watching  with  great  interest  the  move- 
ments of  the  passenger  as  she  peered  into  the  galley 
and  hotly  assailed  the  cook's  method  of  washing  up. 

"  Don't  you  like  the  sea  ? "  he  inquired  politely,  as 
she  came  and  sat  on  the  cabin  skylight. 

Miss  Alsen  shook  her  head  dismally,  "  I  've  got  to 
like  it,"  she  remarked. 


14  MANY   CARGOES 

"Ycmr  father  was  saying  something  to  me  about  It," 
said  the  mate  guardedly. 

"Did  he  tell  the  cook  and  the  cabin  boy  too?" 
inquired  Miss  Alsen,  flushing  somewhat.  "What  did 
he  tell  you?" 

"  Told  me  about  a  man  named  Towson,"  said  the  mate, 
becoming  intent  on  the  sails,  "  and — another  fellow." 

"  I  took  a  little  notice  of  him  just  to  spoil  the  other,* 
said  the  girl,  "not  that  I  cared  for  him.  I  can't  under- 
stand a  girl  caring  for  any  man.  Great,  clumsy,  ugly 
things." 

"  You  don't  like  him  then  ?  "  said  the  mate. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  girl,  tossing  her  head. 

"  And  yet  they  've  sent  you  to  sea  to  get  out  of  his  way," 
said  the  mate  meditatively.  "  Well,  the  best  thing  you 
can  do  " 

His  hardihood  failed  him  at  the  pitch. 

"  Go  on,"  said  the  girl. 

"Well,  it's  this  way,"  said  the  mate,  coughing;  "they've 
sent  you  to  sea  to  get  you  out  of  this  fellow's  way,  so  if 
you  fall  in  love  with  somebody  on  the  ship  they'll  send 
you  home  again." 

"So  they  will,"  said  the  girl  eagerly.  "I'll  pretend  to 
fall  in  love  with  that  nice-looking  sailor  you  call  Harry. 
^Vhat  a  lark  ! " 

"  I  shouldn't  do  that,"  said  the  mate  gravely. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

"  'T  isn't  discipline,"  said  the  mate  very  firmly ;  "  it 
wouldn't  do  at  all.     He's  before  the  mast." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  remarked  Miss  Alsen,  smiling  scornfully. 

"I  only  mean  pretend,  of  course,"  said  the  mate, 
colouring.     "  Just  to  oblige  you." 

"Of  course,"  said  the  girl  calmly.  "Well,  how  ar« 
we  to  be  in  love?" 


A  LOVE  PASSAGE  t$ 

The  mate  flushed  darkly.  "I  don't  know  much  about 
such  things,"  he  said  at  length;  "but  we'll  have  to 
look  at  each  other,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  you 
know." 

"  I  don't  mind  that,"  said  the  girl 

"Then  we'll  get  on  by  degrees,"  said  the  other.  "I 
expect  we  shall  both  find  it  come  easier  after  a  time." 

"Anything  to  get  home  again,"  said  the  girl,  rising  and 
walking  slowly  away. 

The  mate  began  his  part  of  the  love-making  at  once, 
and,  fixing  a  gaze  of  concentrated  love  on  the  object  of 
his  regard,  nearly  ran  down  a  smack.  As  he  had  prog- 
nosticated, it  came  easy  to  him,  and  other  well-marked 
symptoms,  such  as  loss  of  appetite  and  a  partiality  for 
bright  colours,  developed  during  the  day.  Between 
breakfast  and  tea  he  washed  five  times,  and  raised  the 
ire  of  the  skipper  to  a  dangerous  pitch  by  using  the  ship's 
butter  to  remove  tar  from  his  fingers. 

By  ten  o'clock  that  night  he  was  far  advanced  in  a 
profound  melancholy.  All  the  looking  had  been  on  his 
side,  and,  as  he  stood  at  the  wheel  keeping  the  schooner 
to  her  course,  he  felt  a  fellow-feeling  for  the  hapless 
Towson.  His  meditations  were  interrupted  by  a  slight 
figure  which  emerged  from  the  companion,  and,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation,  came  and  took  its  old  seat  on  the 
skylight. 

"Calm  and  peaceful  up  here,  isn't  it?"  said  he,  after 
waiting  some  time  for  her  to  speak.  "Stars  are  very 
bright  to-night." 

"Don't  talk  to  me,"  said  Miss  Alsen  snappishly. 
"Why  doesn't  this  nasty  little  ship  keep  still?  I  believe 
it's  you  making  her  jump  about  like  this," 

"  Me  ?  "  said  the  mate  in  amazement 

"  Yes,  with  that  wheel." 


l6  MANY   CARGOES 

"  I  can  assure  yon  " began  the  mate. 

"Yes,  I  knew  you  'd  say  so,"  said  the  girl. 

*'Come  and  steer  yourself,"  said  the  mate;  "then  youH 


see." 


Much  to  his  surprise  she  came,  and,  leaning  limply 
against  the  wheel,  put  her  little  hands  on  the  spokes, 
while  the  mate  explained  the  mysteries  of  the  compass. 
As  he  warmed  with  his  subject  he  ventured  to  put  his 
hands  on  the  same  spokes,  and,  gradually  becoming  more 
venturesome,  boldly  supported  her  with  his  arm  every  time 
the  schooner  gave  a  lurch. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Miss  Alsen,  coldly  extricating  herself, 
as  the  mate  fancied  another  lurch  was  coming.  "Good- 
night." 

She  retired  to  the  cabin  as  a  dark  figure,  which  was 
manfully  knuckling  the  last  remnant  of  sleep  from  its 
eyelids,  stood  before  the  mate,  chuckling  softly. 

"  Clear  night,"  said  the  seaman,  as  he  took  the  wheel  in 
his  great  paws. 

"  Beastly,"  said  the  mate  absently,  and,  stifling  a  sigh, 
went  below  and  turned  in. 

He  lay  awake  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then,  well  satisfied 
with  the  day's  proceedings,  turned  over  and  fell  asleep. 
He  was  pleased  to  discover,  when  he  awoke,  that  the  slight 
roll  of  the  night  before  had  disappeared,  and  that  there 
was  hardly  any  motion  on  the  schooner.  The  passenger 
herself  was  already  at  the  breakfast-table. 

"  Cap'n's  on  deck,  I  s'pose  ?  "  said  the  mate,  preparing  to 
resume  negotiations  where  they  were  broken  off  the  night 
before.  "  I  hope  you  feel  better  than  you  did  last 
night." 

"  Yes,  thank  you,"  said  she. 

"You'll  make  a  good  sailor  in  time,"  said  the  mate. 

*•  I  hope  not,"  said  Miss  Alseo,  who  thought  it  time  to 


A   LOVE   PASSAGE  17 

quell  a  gleam  of  peculiar  tenderness  plainly  apparent  in 
the  mate's  eyes.  "  I  shouldn't  Uke  to  be  a  sailor  even  if  I 
were  a  man." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  inquired  the  other. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  girl  meditatively ;  "  but  sailors 
are  generally  such  scrubby  little  men,  aren't  they  ?  " 

"  Scrubby  f  "  repeated  the  mate,  in  a  dazed  voice 

"  I  'd  sooner  be  a  soldier,"  she  continued ;  "  I  like 
soldiers — they're  so  manly.  I  wish  there  was  one  here 
now." 

••What  for?"  inquired  the  mate,  in  the  manner  of  a 
sulky  schoolboy. 

•'If  there  was  a  man  like  that  here  now,"  said  Miss 
Alsen  thoughtfully,  ''I'd  dare  him  to  mustard  old 
Towson's  nose." 

"  Do  what  ?  "  inquired  the  astonished  mate. 

"  Mustard  old  Towson's  nose,"  said  Miss  Alsen,  glancing 
lightly  from  the  cruet-stand  to  the  portrait. 

The  infatuated  man  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then, 
reaching  over  to  the  cruet,  took  out  the  spoon,  and  with  a 
pale,  determined  face,  indignantly  daubed  the  classic 
features  of  the  provision  dealer.  His  indignation  was  not 
lessened  by  the  behaviour  of  the  temptress,  who,  instead  of 
fawning  upon  him  for  his  bravery,  crammed  her  handker- 
chief to  her  mouth  and  giggled  foolishly. 

••Here's  father,"  she  said  suddenly,  as  a  step  sounded 
above.     '*  Oh,  you  will  get  it  I " 

She  rose  from  her  seat,  and,  standing  aside  to  let  her 
father  pass,  went  on  deck.  The  skipper  sank  on  to  a 
locker,  and,  raising  the  tea-pot,  poured  himself  out  a  cup 
of  tea,  which  he  afterwards  decanted  into  a  saucer.  He 
had  just  raised  it  to  his  lips,  when  he  saw  something  over 
the  rim  of  it  which  made  him  put  it  down  again  untasted, 
and  stare  blankly  at  the  mantel-piece. 

C 


l8  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Who  the — what  the — who  the  devil 's  done  this  ?  "  h« 
Inquired  in  a  strangulated  voice,  as  he  rose  and  regarded 
the  portrait 

"  I  did,"  said  the  mate. 

**  You  did  ?  "  roared  the  other.     "  You  ?    What  for  ?  ** 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  mate  awkwardly.  "  Something 
seemed  to  come  over  me  all  of  a  sudden,  and  I  felt  as 
though  I  musf  do  it" 

"  But  what  for  ?  Where 's  the  sense  of  it  ?  "  said  tho 
skipper. 

The  mate  shook  his  head  sheepishly. 

"But  what  did  you  want  to  do  such  a  monkey-trick 
/ort"  roared  the  skipper. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  mate  doggedly ;  " but  it's  done, 
ain't  it  ?  and  it 's  no  good  talking  about  it" 

The  skipper  looked  at  him  in  wrathful  perplexity. 
•*  You  'd  better  have  advice  when  we  get  to  port.  Jack,"  he 
said  at  length ;  '•  the  last  few  weeks  I  've  noticed  you  've 
been  a  bit  strange  in  your  manner.  You  go  an'  show  that 
'ed  of  yours  to  a  doctor." 

The  mate  grunted,  and  went  on  deck  for  sympathy,  but, 
finding  Miss  Alsen  in  a  mood  far  removed  from  sentiment, 
and  not  at  all  grateful,  drew  off  whistling.  Matters  were 
in  this  state  when  the  skipper  appeared,  wiping  his 
mouth. 

•'  T  've  put  another  portrait  on  the  mantel-piece.  Jack,"  he 
said  menacingly ;  "  it 's  the  only  other  one  I  've  got,  an'  I 
wish  you  to  understand  that  if  that  only  sme/ls  mustard, 
there  '11  be  such  a  row  in  this  'ere  ship  that  you  won't  be 
able  to  'ear  yourself  speak  for  the  noise." 

He  moved  off  with  dignity  as  his  daughter,  who  had 
overheard  the  remark,  came  sidling  up  to  the  mate  and 
•miled  on  him  agreeably. 

**  He 's  put  another  portrait  there,"  she  said  softly. 


A  LOVE  PASSAGE  19 

"You  11  find  the  mustard-pot  in  the  cruet,"  said  the 
mate  coldly. 

Miss  Alsen  turned  and  watched  her  father  as  he  went 
forward,  and  then,  to  the  mate's  surprise,  went  below 
without  another  word.  A  prey  to  curiosity,  but  too  proud 
to  make  any  overture,  he  compromised  matters  by  going 
and  standing  near  the  companion. 

"  Mate  i "  said  a  stealthy  whisper  at  the  foot  (rf  the 
ladder. 

The  mate  gazed  calmly  out  to  sea. 

"Jack!"  said  the  girl  again,  in  a  lower  whisper  than 
before. 

The  mate  went  hot  all  over,  and  at  once  descended.  He 
found  Miss  Alsen,  her  eyes  sparkling,  with  the  mustard-pot 
in  her  left  hand  and  the  spoon  in  her  right,  executing  a 
war-dance  in  front  of  the  second  portrait 

"  Don't  do  it,"  said  the  mate,  in  alarm. 

**  Why  not  ?  **  she  inquired,  going  within  an  inch  of  It 

•*  He  11  think  it 's  me,"  said  the  mate. 

"  That 's  why  I  called  you  down  here,"  said  she ;  "  you 
don't  think  I  wanted  you,  do  you  ?  " 

"You  [Hit  that  spoon  down,"  said  the  mate,  who  was 
by  no  xxaeajoa  desirous  (rf  another  interview  with  the 
skipper. 

"  Shant !"  said  Miss  Alssa. 

The  mate  sprang  at  her,  but  she  dodged  roaad  tha 
table.  He  leaned  over,  and,  catching  her  by  the  left  arm, 
drew  her  towards  him;  then,  with  her  flushed,  laughing 
face  close  to  his,  he  forgot  everything  else,  and  kissed 
her. 

"Oh ! "  said  Hetty  indignantly. 

"  Will  you  give  it  to  me  now  ?  "  said  the  mate,  trembling 
at  his  boldness. 

"Take  it,"  said  she.    She  leaned  across  the  taUe^  and, 


•o  MANY   CARGOES 

as  the  mate  advanced,  dabbed  viciously  at  him  with  the 
spoon.  Then  she  suddenly  dropped  both  articles  on  the 
table  and  moved  away,  as  the  mate,  startled  by  a  footstep 
at  the  door,  turned  a  flushed  visage,  ornamented  with  three 
streaks  of  mustard,  on  to  the  dumbfounded  skipper. 

"  Sakes  alive  ! "  said  that  astonished  mariner,  as  soon  as 
he  could  speak;  "if  he  ain't  a-mustarding  his  own  face 
now — I  never  'eard  of  such  a  thing  in  all  my  life.  Don't 
go  near  'im,  Hetty.     Jack  1 " 

"Well,"  said  the  mate,  wiping  his  smarting  face  with  his 
handkerchief. 

"  You  've  never  been  took  like  this  before  ?  "  queried  tho 
skipper  anxiously. 

"  O'  course  not,"  said  the  mortified  mate. 

"  Don't  you  say  o'  course  not  to  me,"  said  the  other 
warmly,  "after  behaving  like  this.  A  straight  weskit's 
what  you  want.  I  '11  go  an'  see  old  Ben  about  it.  He  *s 
got  an  uncle  in  a  'sylum.     You  come  up  too,  my  girl." 

He  went  in  search  of  Ben,  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  his 
daughter,  instead  of  following  him,  came  no  farther 
than  the  door,  where  she  stood  and  regarded  her  victim 
compassionately. 

"  I'm  so  sorry,"  she  said.     "  Does  it  smart?" 

"A  little,"  said  the  mate;  "don't  you  trouble  about 
me." 

"  You  see  what  you  get  for  behaving  badly,"  said  Miss 
Alsen  judicially. 

"  It 's  worth  it,"  said  the  mate,  brightening. 

"  I  'm  afraid  it  '11  blister,"  said  she.  She  crossed  over  to 
him,  and  putting  her  head  on  one  side,  eyed  the  traces 
wisely.     "  Three  marks,"  she  said. 

*'  I  only  had  one,"  suggested  the  mate. 

"  One  what  ?  ''  enquired  Hetty. 

•*  Those,"  said  the  mate. 


A   LOVE   PASSAGE  «i 

In  full  view  of  the  horrified  skipper,  who  was  cauriously 
peeping  at  the  supposed  lunatic  through  the  skylight,  he 
kissed  her  again. 

"You  can  go  away,  Ben,"  said  the  skipper  huskily  to  the 
expert.  "D'ye  hear,  you  can  go  away,  and  not  a  word 
about  this,  mind." 

The  expert  went  away  grumbling,  and  the  father,  after 
another  glance,  which  showed  him  his  daughter  nestling 
comfortably  on  the  mate's  right  shoulder,  stole  away  and 
brooded  darkly  over  this  crowning  complication.  An 
ordinary  man  would  have  run  down  and  interrupted  them ; 
the  master  of  Xh.Q  Jessica  thought  he  could  attain  his  ends 
more  certainly  by  diplomacy,  and  so  careful  was  his 
demeanour  that  the  couple  in  the  cabin  had  no  idea  that 
they  had  been  observed — the  mate  listening  calmly  to 
a  lecture  on  incipient  idiocy  which  the  skipper  thought 
it  advisable  to  bestow. 

Until  the  mid-day  meal  on  the  day  following  he  made 
no  sign.  If  anything  he  was  even  more  affable  than  usual, 
though  his  wrath  rose  at  the  glances  which  were  being 
exchanged  across  the  table. 

"  By  the  way.  Jack,"  he  said  at  length,  "  what 's  become 
of  Kitty  Loney?" 

"  Who  ?  "  inquired  the  mate.     "  Who 's  Kitty  Loney  ?  " 

It  was  now  the  skipper's  turn  to  stare,  and  he  did  it 
admirably. 

"  Kitty  Loney,"  he  said  in  surprise,  "  the  little  girl  you 
are  going  to  marry." 

•*  Who  are  you  getting  at  ?  "  said  the  mate,  going  scarlet 
as  he  met  the  gaze  opposite. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  the  skipper  with 
dignity.  "  I  'm  allooding  to  Kitty  Loney,  the  little  girl  in 
the  red  hat  and  white  feathers  you  introduced  to  me  as 
your  future." 


tt  MANY   CARGOES 

The  mate  sank  back  in  his  seat,  and  regarded  him  with 
open-mouthed,  horrified  astonishment. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  you've  chucked  'er,"  pursued 
the  heartless  skipper,  "after  getting  an  advance  from  me 
to  buy  the  ring  with,  too  ?  Didn't  you  buy  the  ring  with 
the  money  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  mate,  "  I — oh,  no — of  course — what  on 
earth  are  you  talking  about  ?  " 

The  skipper  rose  from  his  seat  and  regarded  him  sorrow- 
fully but  severely.  "I  'm  sorry.  Jack,"  he  said  stiffly,  "if  I  've 
said  anything  to  annoy  you,  or  anyway  hurt  your  feelings. 
O'  course  it 's  your  business,  not  mine.  P'raps  you  '11  say 
you  never  heard  o'  Kitty  Loney  ?  " 

"  I  do  say  so,"  said  the  bewildered  mate ;  "  I  do  say  so." 

The  skipper  eyed  him  sternly,  and  without  another  word 
left  the  cabin.  "If  she's  like  her  mother,"  he  said  to 
himself,  chuckling  as  he  went  up  the  companion-ladder, 
*'  I  think  that  '11  do." 

There  was  an  awkward  pause  after  his  departure.  "  I  'm 
sure  I  don't  know  what  you  must  think  of  me,"  said  the 
mate  at  length,  "but  I  don't  know  what  your  father's 
talking  about." 

"  I  don't  think  anything,"  said  Hetty  calmly.  "  Pass  the 
potatoes,  please." 

"I  suppose  it's  a  joke  of  his,"  said  the  mate,  conoh 
plying. 

"And  the  salt,"  said  she;  "thank  you." 

"  But  you  don't  believe  it  ?  "  said  the  mate  pathetically. 

"  Oh,  don't  be  silly,"  said  the  girl  calmly.  "  What  does 
It  matter  whether  I  do  or  not  ?  " 

"  It  matters  a  great  deal,"  said  the  mate  gloomily.  "  It  'a 
life  or  death  to  me." 

"  Oh,  nonsense,"  said  Hetty.  "  She  won't  know  of  yom 
foolishness.     I  won't  tell  her." 


A  LOVE   PASSAGE  «3 

**  I  tell  you,"  said  the  mate  desperately,  "  there  never  was 
ft  Kitty  Loney.     What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  " 

"I  think  you  are  very  mean,"  said  the  girl  scornfully; 
"don't  talk  to  me  any  more,  please." 

"  Just  as  you  like,"  said  the  mate,  beginning  to  lose  hig 
temper. 

He  pushed  his  plate  from  him  and  departed,  while  the 
girl,  angry  and  resentful,  put  the  potatoes  back  as  being  too 
floury  for  consumption  in  the  circumstances. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  passage  she  treated  him  with 
a  politeness  and  good  humour  through  which  he  strove 
in  vain  to  break.  To  her  surprise  her  father  made  no 
objection,  at  the  end  of  the  voyage,  when  she  coaxingly 
suggested  going  back  by  train ;  and  the  mate,  as  they  sat  at 
dummy- whist  on  the  evening  before  her  departure,  tried 
in  vain  to  discuss  the  journey  in  an  unconcerned  fashion. 

"It'll  be  a  long  journey,"  said  Hetty,  who  still  liked 
him  well  enough  to  make  him  smart  a  bit.  "What's 
trumps  ?  " 

"  You  '11  be  all  right,"  said  her  father.     "  Spades." 

He  won  for  the  third  time  that  evening,  and,  feeling 
wonderfully  well  satisfied  with  the  way  in  which  he  had 
played  his  cards  generally,  could  not  resist  another  gibe  at 
the  crestfallen  mate. 

"You'll  have  to  give  up  playing  cards  and  all  that  sort 
"O'  thing  when  you  're  married,  Jack,"  said  he. 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  the  mate  recklessly,  "Kitty  don't  like 
■cards." 

"  I  thought  there  was  no  Kitty,"  said  the  girl,  looking  up, 
•comfully. 

"She  don't  like  cards,"  repeated  the  mate.  "Lord, 
what  a  spree  we  had,  cap'n,  when  we  went  to  the  Crystal 
Palace  with  her  that  night." 

"Ay,  that  we  did,"  said  the  skipper. 


14  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Remember  the  roundabouts  ?  "  said  the  mate. 

"  I  do,"  said  the  skipper  merrily.  "  I  '11  never  forget 
'em." 

^You  and  that  friend  of  hers,  Bessie  Watson,  lord 
how  you  did  go  on  I "  continued  the  mate,  in  a  sort  of 
ecstasy. 

The  skipper  stiffened  suddenly  in  his  chair.  '•  What  on 
earth  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  he  inquired  gruffly. 

"Bessie  Watson,"  said  the  mate,  in  tones  of  innocent 
surprise.  "Little  girl  in  a  blue  hat  with  white  feathers, 
and  a  blue  frock,  that  came  with  us." 

"  You  're  drunk,"  said  the  skipper,  grinding  his  teeth,  as 
he  saw  the  trap  into  which  he  had  walked. 

"  Don't  you  remember  when  you  two  got  lost,  an'  me  and 
Kitty  were  looking  all  over  the  place  for  you  ?  "  demanded 
the  mate,  still  in  the  same  tones  of  pleasant  reminiscence. 

He  caught  Hetty's  eye,  and  noticed  with  a  thrill  that 
it  beamed  with  soft  and  respectful  admiration. 

••  You  've  been  drinking,"  repeated  the  skipper,  breathing 
hard.     "  How  dare  you  talk  like  that  afore  my  daughter  ?  " 

"  It 's  only  right  I  should  know,"  said  Hetty,  drawing 
herself  up.     "  I  wonder  what  mother  '11  say  to  it  all  ?  " 

"  You  say  anything  to  your  mother  if  you  dare,"  said  the 
now  maddened  skipper.  "  You  know  what  she  is.  It 's  all 
the  mate's  nonsense." 

"  I  'm  very  sorry,  cap'n,"  said  the  mate,  "  if  I  've  said 
anything  to  annoy  you,  or  anyway  hurt  your  feelings,  O' 
course  it's  your  business,  not  mine.  Perhaps  you'll  say 
you  never  heard  o'  Bessie  Watson  ?  " 

"Mother  shall  hear  of  her,"  said  Hetty,  while  her  helpless 
■ire  was  struggling  for  breath. 

"  Perhaps  you  11  tell  us  who  this  Bessie  Watson  is,  and 
where  she  lives  ?  "  he  said  at  length. 

"  She  lives  with  Kitty  Loney,"  said  the  mate  simplj. 


A  LOVE   PASSAGE  •$ 

The  skipper  rose,  and  his  demeanour  was  so  alarming 
that  Hetty  shrank  instinctively  to  the  mate  for  protection. 
In  full  view  of  his  captain,  the  mate  placed  his  arm  about 
her  waist,  and  in  this  position  they  confronted  each  other 
for  some  time  in  silence.    Then  Hetty  looked  up  and  spoke, 

**  I  'm  going  home  by  water,"  she  said  briefly. 


THE   CAPTAIN'S   EXPLOIT 


IT  was  a  wet,  dreary  night  in  that  cheerless  part  of 
the  great  metropolis  known  as  Wapping.  The  rain, 
which  had  been  falling  heavily  for  hours,  still  fell  steadily 
on  to  the  sloppy  pavements  and  roads,  and  joining  forces  in 
the  gutter,  rushed  impetuously  to  the  nearest  sewer.  The 
two  or  three  streets  which  had  wedged  themselves  in 
between  the  docks  and  the  river,  and  which,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  really  comprise  the  beginning  and  end  of  Wapping, 
were  deserted,  except  for  a  belated  van  crashing  over  the 
granite  roads,  or  the  chance  form  of  a  dock-labourer 
plodding  doggedly  along,  with  head  bent  in  distaste  for  the 
rain,  and  hands  sunk  in  trouser-pockets. 

"  Beastly  night,"  said  Captain  Bing,  as  he  rolled  out  of 
the  private  bar  of  the  "Sailor's  Friend,"  and,  ignoring  the 
presence  of  the  step,  took  a  little  hurried  run  across  the 
pavement     "  Not  fit  for  a  dog  to  be  out  in." 

He  kicked,  as  he  spoke,  at  a  shivering  cur  which  was 
looking  in  at  the  crack  of  the  bar-door,  with  a  hazy  view  of 
calling  its  attention  to  the  matter,  and  then,  pulling  up 
the  collar  of  his  rough  pea-jacket,  stepped  boldly  out 
into  the  rain.  Three  or  four  minutes'  walk,  or  rather 
roll,  brought  him  to  a  dark  narrow  passage,  which  ran 
between  two  houses  to  the  water-side.  By  a  slight  tack  to 
starboard  at  a  critical  moment  he  struck  the  channel  safely, 
and  followed  it  until  it  ended  in  a  flight  of  old  stone  slepa, 
half  of  which  were  under  water. 

a6 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  EXPLOIT  ^^ 

"  Where  for  ? "  inquired  a  man,  starting  yp  from  a  small 
penthouse  formed  of  rough  pieces  of  board. 

"Schooner  in  the  tier,  Smiling  Jane"  said  the  captain 
gruffly,  as  he  stumbled  clumsily  into  a  boat  and  sat  down 
in  the  stem.  "Why  don't  you  have  better  seats  in  this  'ere 
boat?" 

"  They  're  there,  if  you  11  look  for  them,"  said  the  water- 
man j  "  and  you  '11  find  'em  easier  sitting  than  that  bucket" 

"Why  don't  you  put  'em  where  a  man  can  see  'em?" 
Inquired  the  captain,  raising  his  voice  a  Uttle. 

The  other  opened  his  mouth  to  reply,  but  realising  that  it 
would  lead  to  a  long  and  utterly  futile  argument,  contented 
himself  with  asking  his  fare  to  trim  the  boat  better;  and, 
pushing  off  from  the  steps,  pulled  strongly  through  the 
dark  lumpy  water.  The  tide  was  strong,  so  that  they  made 
but  slow  progress. 

"  When  I  was  a  young  man,"  said  the  fare  with  severity, 
*'  I  'd  ha'  pulled  this  boat  across  and  back  afore  now." 

"  When  you  was  a  young  man,"  said  the  man  at  the  oars, 
who  had  a  local  reputation  as  a  wit,  "there  wasn't  no  boats; 
they  was  all  Noah's  arks  then." 

"  Stow  your  gab,"  said  the  captain,  after  a  pause  of  deep 
thought 

The  other,  whose  besetting  sin  was  certainly  not  loqua- 
city, ejected  a  thin  stream  of  tobacco-juice  over  the  side, 
spat  on  his  hands,  and  continued  his  laborious  work  until 
a  crowd  of  dark  shapes,  surmounted  by  a  network  of  rigging, 
loomed  up  before  them. 

"  Now,  which  is  your  little  barge  ?  "  he  inquired,  tugging 
strongly  to  maintain  his  position  against  the  fast-flowing 
tide. 

"  Smiling  Jane ^  said  his  fare. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  waterman,  "  Smiling  Jane,  is  it  ?  Yon 
■it  there,  cap'n,  an'  I'll  row  round  all  their  stems  whil« 


t8  MANY   CARGOES 

you   strike  matches  and  look  at  the  names.     Well  have 
quite  a  nice  little  evening." 

"  There  she  is."  cried  the  captain,  who  was  too  muddled 
to  notice  the  sarcasm  ;  there 's  the  little  beauty.  Steady, 
my  lad." 

He  reached  out  his  hand  as  he  spoke,  and  as  the  boat 
jarred  violently  against  a  small  schooner,  seized  a  rope 
which  hung  over  the  side,  and,  swaying  to  and  fro,  fumbled 
in  his  pocket  for  the  fare. 

"Steady,  old  boy,"  said  the  waterman  affectionately. 
He  had  just  received  twopence-halfpenny  and  a  shilling  by 
mistake  for  threepence.  "  Easy  up  the  side.  You  ain't 
such  a  pretty  figger  as  you  was  when  your  old  woman  made 
such  a  bad  bargain." 

The  captain  paused  in  his  climb,  and  poising  himself  on 
one  foot,  gingerly  felt  for  his  tormentor's  head  with  the 
other.  Not  finding  it,  he  flung  his  leg  over  the  bulwark, 
and  gained  the  deck  of  the  vessel  as  the  boat  swung  round 
with  the  tide  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

"  All  turned  in,"  said  the  captain,  gazing  owlishly  at  the 
deserted  deck.  "Well,  there  's  a  good  hour  an'  a  half  afore 
we  start ;  I  '11  turn  in  too." 

He  walked  slowly  aft,  and  sliding  back  the  companion- 
hatch,  descended  into  a  small  evil-smelling  cabin,  and  stood 
feeling  in  the  darkness  for  the  matches.  They  were  not  to 
be  found,  and,  growling  profanely,  he  felt  his  way  to  the 
state-room,  and  turned  in  all  standing. 

It  was  still  dark  when  he  awoke,  and  hanging  over 
the  edge  of  the  bunk,  cautiously  felt  for  the  floor  with 
his  feet,  and  having  found  it,  stood  thoughtfully  scratching 
his  head,  which  seemed  to  have  swollen  to  abnormal 
proportions. 

"Time  they  were  getting  under  weigh,"  he  said  at 
length,  and  groping  his  way  to  the  foot  of  the  steps,  ho 


THE   CAPTAIN'S   EXPLOIT  19 

opened  the  door  of  what  looked  like  a  small  pantry,  but 
which  was  really  the  mate's  boudoir. 

"Jem,"  said  the  captain  gruffly. 

There  was  no  reply,  and  jumping  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  was  above,  the  captain  tumbled  up  the  steps  and  gained 
the  deck,  which,  as  far  as  he  could  see,  was  in  the  same 
deserted  condition  as  when  he  left  it.  Anxious  to  get  some 
idea  of  the  time,  he  staggered  to  the  side  and  looked  over, 
'llie  tide  was  almost  at  the  turn,  and  the  steady  clank,  clank 
of  neighbouring  windlasses  showed  that  other  craft  were 
just  getting  under  weigh.  A  barge,  its  red  light  turning  the 
water  to  blood,  with  a  huge  wall  of  dark  sail,  passed  noise- 
lessly by,  the  indistinct  figure  of  a  man  leaning  skilfully 
upon  the  tiller. 

As  these  various  signs  of  life  and  activity  obtruded 
themselves  upon  the  skipper  of  the  Smiling  Jane,  his 
wrath  rose  higher  and  higher  as  he  looked  around  the 
wet,  deserted  deck  of  his  own  little  craft.  Then  he  walked 
forward  and  thrust  his  head  down  the  forecastle  hatchway. 

As  he  expected,  there  was  a  complete  sleeping  chorus 
below;  the  deep  satisfied  snoring  of  half-a-dozen  seamen, 
who,  regardless  of  the  tide  and  their  captain's  feelings,  were 
slumbering  sweetly,  in  blissful  ignorance  of  all  that  the 
Lancet  might  say  upon  the  twin  subjects  of  overcrowding 
and  ventilation. 

"Below  there,  you  lazy  thieves!"  roared  the  captain; 
•*  tumble  up,  tumble  up  1 " 

The  snores  stopped.  "Ay,  ayl"  said  a  sleepy  voioi 
"  What 's  the  matter,  master  ?  " 

"  Matter ! "  repeated  the  other,  choking  violeDtly. 
"Ain't  you   going  to   sail   to-night?" 

"To-night!"  said  another  voice,  in  surprise.  "Why, 
I  thought  we  wasn't  going  to  sail  till  Wen'sday." 

Not  trusting  himself  to    reply,   so  careful  was  he  of 


|0  MANY  CARGOES 

the  morals  of  his  men,  the  skipper  went  and  leaned  over 
the  side  and  communed  with  the  silent  water.  In  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time  five  or  six  dusky  figures 
pattered  up  on  to  the  deck,  and  a  minute  or  two  later 
the  harsh  clank  of  the  windlass  echoed  far  and  wide. 

The  captain  took  the  wheel.  A  fat  and  very  sleepy 
seaman  put  up  the  side-lights,  and  the  little  schooner, 
detaching  itself  by  the  aid  of  boat-hooks  and  fenders  from 
the  neighbouring  craft,  moved  slowly  down  with  the  tide. 
The  men,  in  response  to  the  captain's  fervent  orders, 
climbed  aloft,  and  sail  after  sail  was  spread  to  the  gentle 
breeze. 

"  Hi !  you  there,"  cried  the  captain  to  one  of  the  men 
who  stood  near  him,  coiling  up  some  loose  line. 

*'  Sir  ?  "  said  the  man. 

•*  Where  is  the  mate  ?  "  inquired  the  captain. 

"  Man  with  red  whiskers  and  pimply  nose  ? "  said  the 
man  interrogatively. 

"  That 's  him  to  a  hair,"  answered  the  other. 

"  Ain't  seen  him  since  he  took  me  on  at  eleven,"  said  the 
man. 

*•  How  many  new  hands  are  there  ?  " 

"  I  b'leeve  we  're  all  fresh,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  don't 
believe  some  of  'em  have  ever  smelt  salt  water  afore." 

"The  mate's  been  at  it  agam,"  said  the  captain  warmly, 
'•  that 's  what  he  has.  He 's  done  it  afore  and  got  left 
behind.  Them  what  can't  stand  drink,  my  man,  shouldn't 
take  it,  remember  that" 

"  He  said  we  wasn't  going  to  sail  till  Wen'sday,"  re- 
marked the  man,  who  found  the  captain's  attitude  rathei 
trying. 

"He'll  get  sacked,  that's  what  hell  get,"  said  the 
captain  warmly.  "I  shall  report  him  as  soon  as  I 
get  ashore." 


THE   CAPTAIN'S   EXPLOIT  ji 

The  subject  exhausted,  the  seaman  returned  to  his 
work,  and  the  captain  continued  steering  in  moody 
silence. 

Slowly,  slowly  darkness  gave  way  to  light.  The  different 
portions  of  the  craft,  instead  of  all  being  blurred  into  one, 
took  upon  themselves  shape,  and  stood  out  wet  and  distinct 
in  the  cold  grey  of  the  breaking  day.  But  the  lighter 
it  became,  the  harder  the  skipper  stared  and  rubbed 
his  eyes,  and  looked  from  the  deck  to  the  fiat  marshy  shore, 
and  from  the  shore  back  to  the  deck  again. 

"  Here,  come  here,"  he  cried,  beckoning  to  one  of  the 
crew. 

"  Yessir,"  said  the  man,  advancing. 

"  There 's  something  in  one  of  my  eyes,**  faltered  the 
skipper.  **  I  can't  see  straight ;  everything  seems  mixed  up. 
Now,  speaking  deliberate  and  without  any  hurry,  which  side 
o'  the  ship  do  you  say  the  cook's  galley 's  on  ?  " 

"Starboard,"  said  the  man  promptly,  eyeing  him  with 
astonishment 

**  Starboard,"  repeated  the  other  softly.  "  He  says  star- 
board, and  that 's  what  it  seems  to  me.  My  lad,  yesterday 
morning  it  was  on  the  port  side." 

The  seaman  received  this  astounding  communication 
with  calmness,  but,  as  a  slight  concession  to  appearances, 
said  "Lor!" 

"  And  the  water-cask,"  said  the  skipper ;  "  wh^t  colour  ia 
it?" 

"  Green,"  said  the  man. 

"  Not  white  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper,  leaning  heavily  upon 
the  wheel 

"Whitish-green,"  said  the  man,  who  always  believed 
m  keeping  in  with  his  superior  officers. 

The  captain  swore  at  him. 

By  this  time  two  or  three  of  the  crew  who  had  over- 


)t  MANY  CARGOES 

heard  part  of  the  conversation  had  collected  aft,  and 
now  stood  in  a  small  wondering  knot  before  their  strange 
captain, 

"  My  lads,"  said  the  latter,  moistening  his  dry  lips  with 
his  tongue,  "I  name  no  names — I  don't  know  'em  yet — and 
1  cast  no  suspicions,  but  somebody  has  been  painting 
up  and  altering  this  'ere  craft,  and  twisting  things  about 
until  a  man  'ud  hardly  know  her.  Now  what's  the  little 
game  ?  " 

There  was  no  answer,  and  the  captain,  who  was  seeing 
things  clearer  and  clearer  in  the  growing  light,  got  paler 
and  paler. 

"I  must  be  going  crazy,"  he  muttered.  "Is  this  the 
Smiling  Jane^  or  am  I  dreaming  ? " 

" It  ain't  the  Smiling  Jan^"  said  one  of  the  seamen ; 
"leastways,"  he  added  cautiously,  "it  wasn't  when  1  came 
aboard." 

••Not  the  Smiling  fane /**  roared  the  skipper;  "what  is 
it,  then  ?  " 

••  Why,  the  Mary  Ann,^  chorused  the  astonished  crew. 

"My  lads,"  faltered  the  agonised  captain  after  a  long 
pause.  "  My  lads "  He  stopped  and  swallowed  some- 
thing in  his  throat.  "I've  been  and  brought  away  the 
wrong  ship,"  he  continued  with  an  effort;  "that's  what 
I've  done.     I  must  have  been  bewitched." 

"  Well,  who 's  having  the  little  game  now  ? "  inquired 
a  voice. 

"Somebody  else  11  be  sacked  as  well  as  the  mate," 
said  another. 

"We  must  take  her  back,"  said  the  captain,  raising  his 
voice  to  drown  these  mutterings.     ••  Stand  by  there ! " 

The  bewildered  crew  went  to  their  posts,  the  captain 
gave  his  orders  in  a  voice  which  had  never  been  so 
subdued  and  mellow  since  it  broke  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 


THE   CAPTAIN'S    EXPLOIT  33 

and  the  Mary  Ann  took  in  sail,  and,  dropping  her  anchor, 
waited  patiently  for  the  turning  of  the  tide. 


The  church  bells  in  Wapping  and  Rotherhithe  were  just 
striking  the  hour  of  mid-day,  though  they  were  heard  by 
few  above  the  noisy  din  of  workers  on  wharves  and  ships, 
as  a  short  stout  captain,  and  a  mate  with  red  whiskers  and 
a  pimply  nose,  stood  up  in  a  waterman's  boat  in  the 
centre  of  the  river,  and  gazed  at  each  other  in  blank 
astonishment. 

"She's  gone,  clean  gone!"  murmured  the  bewildered 
captain. 

"Clean  as  a  whistle,"  said  the  mate.  "The  new  hands 
must  ha'  run  away  with  her." 

Then  the  bereaved  captain  raised  his  voice,  and  pro- 
nounced a  pathetic  and  beautiful  eulogy  upon  the  departed 
vessel,  somewhat  marred  by  an  appendix  in  which  he 
consigned  the  new  hands,  their  heirs,  and  descendants,  to 
everlasting  perdition. 

"Ahoyl"  said  the  waterman,  who  was  getting  tired  of 
the  business,  addressing  a  grimy-looking  seaman  hanging 
meditatively  over  the  side  of  a  schooner.  "  Where 's  the 
Mary  Ann  t " 

"Went  away  at  half-past  one  this  morning,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  'Cos  here's  the  cap'n  an'  the  mate,"  said  the  waterman, 
indicating  the  forlorn  couple  with  a  bob  of  his  head. 

"  My  eyes  1 "  said  the  man,  "  I  s'pose  the  cook 's  in 
charge  then.  We  was  to  have  gone  too,  but  our  old  man 
hasn't  turned  up." 

Quickly  the  news  spread  amongst  the  craft  in  the  tier, 
and  many  and  various  were  the  suggestions  shouted  to  the 
hewildered  couple  from  the  different  decks.    At  last,  just  as 


34  MANY  CARGOES 

the  captain  had  ordered  the  waterman  to  return  to  the 
shore,  he  was  startled  by  a  loud  cry  trom  the  mate. 

"  Look  there  ! "  he  shouted. 

The  captain  looked.  Fifty  or  sixty  yards  away,  a  small 
shamefaced-looking  schooner,  so  it  appeared  to  his  excited 
imagination,  was  slowly  approaching  them.  A  minute  later 
a  shout  went  up  from  the  other  craft  as  she  took  in  sail 
and  bore  slowly  down  upon  them.  Then  a  small  boat 
put  oflf  to  the  buoy,  and  the  Mary  Ann  was  slowly  warped 
into  the  place  she  had  left  ten  hours  before. 

But  while  all  this  was  going  on,  she  was  boarded  by 
her  captain  and  mate.  They  were  met  by  Captain  Bihg, 
supported  by  his  mate,  who  had  hastily  pushed  off  from  the 
Smiling  Jane  to  the  assistance  of  his  chief.  In  the  two 
leading  features  before  mentioned  he  was  not  unlike  the 
mate  of  the  Mary  Ann,  and  much  stress  was  laid  upon  this 
fact  by  the  unfortunate  Bing  in  his  explanation.  So  much 
so,  in  fact,  that  both  the  mates  got  restless;  the  skipper, 
who  was  a  plain  man,  and  given  to  calling  a  spade  a  spade, 
using  the  word  "pimply"  with  what  seemed  to  them 
unnecessary  iteration. 

It  is  possible  that  the  interview  might  have  lasted  for 
hours  had  not  Bing  suddenly  changed  his  tactics  and  begun 
to  throw  out  dark  hints  about  standing  a  dinner  ashore,  and 
settling  it  over  a  friendly  glass.  The  face  of  the  Mary 
Ann's  captain  began  to  clear,  and,  as  Bing  proceeded  from 
generalities  to  details,  a  soft  smile  played  over  his  expressive 
features.  It  was  reflected  in  the  faces  of  the  mates,  who  by 
these  means  showed  clearly  that  they  understood  the  table 
was  to  be  laid  for  four. 

At  this  happy  turn  of  affairs  Bing  himself  smiled,  and  a 
little  while  later  a  ship's  boat  containing  four  boon  com- 
panions put  off  from  the  Mary  Ann  and  made  for  the 
ihore.     Of  what  afterwards  ensued  there  is  no  distinct 


THE  CAPTAIN'S  EXPLOIT  55 

record,  beyond  what  may  be  gleaned  from  the  fact  that  the 
quartette  turned  up  at  midnight  arm-in-arm,  and  affec- 
tionately refused  to  be  separated — even  to  enter  the  ship's 
boat,  which  was  waiting  for  them.  The  sailors  were  at  first 
rather  nonplussed,  but  by  dint  of  much  coaxing  and 
argument  broke  up  the  party,  and  rowing  ^mm  to  their 
respective  vessels,  put  them  carefully  to  bed 


CONTRABAND    OF    WAR 

A  SMALL  but  strong  lamp  was  burning  in  the  fo'c'sle 
of  the  schooner  Greyhound^  by  the  light  of  which 
a  middle-aged  seaman  of  sedate  appearance  sat  crocheting 
an  antimacassar.  Two  other  men  were  snoring  with  deep 
content  in  their  bunks,  while  a  small,  bright-eyed  boy  sat 
up  in  his,  reading  adventurous  fiction. 

"Here  comes  old  Dan,"  said  the  man  with  the  anti- 
macassar wamingly,  as  a  pair  of  sea-boots  appeared  at  the 
top  of  the  companion-ladder ;  "  better  not  let  him  see  you 
with  that  paper,  Billee." 

The  boy  thrust  it  beneath  his  blankets,  and,  lying  down, 
closed  his  eyes  as  the  new-comer  stepped  on  to  the  floor. 

"  All  asleep  ?  "  inquired  the  latter. 

The  other  man  nodded,  and  Dan,  without  any  further 
parley,  crossed  over  to  the  sleepers  and  shook  them 
roughly. 

"Eh  !  wha's  matter?"  inquired  the  sleepers  plaintively. 

"Git  up,"  said  Dan  impressively,  "I  want  to  speak  to 
you.     Something  important" 

With  sundry  growls  the  men  complied,  and,  thrusting 
their  legs  out  of  their  bunks,  rolled  on  to  the  locker,  and 
sat  crossly  waiting  for  information. 

"  I  want  to  do  a  pore  chap  a  good  turn,"  said  Dan, 
watching  them  narrowly  out  of  his  little  black  eyes,  "an' 
I  want  you  to  help  me ;  an*  the  boy  too.  It 's  never  too 
young  to  do  good  to  your  fellow-creatures,  Billy," 

36 


CONTR.\BAND   OF  WAR  37 

"I  know  it  ain't,"  said  Billy,  taking  this  as  permission 
to  join  the  group ;  "  I  helped  a  drunken  man  home  once 
when  I  was  only  ten  years  old,  an'  when  I  was  only  " 

The  speaker  stopped,  not  because  he  had  come  to  the 
end  of  his  remarks,  but  because  one  of  the  seamen  had 
passed  his  arm  around  his  neck  and  was  choking  him. 

"  Go  on,"  said  the  man  calmly ;  "  I  've  got  him.  Spit 
it  out,  Dan,  and  none  of  your  sermonising." 

"Well,  it's  like  this,  Joe,"  said  the  old  man;  "here's 
a  pore  chap,  a  young  sojer  from  the  depot  here,  an'  he's 
cut  an'  run.  He 's  been  in  hiding  in  a  cottage  up  the  road 
two  days,  and  he  wants  to  git  to  London,  and  git  honest 
work  and  employment,  not  shooting,  an'  stabbing,  an' 
bayoneting  " 

"  Stow  it,"  said  Joe  impatiently. 

"He  daren't  go  to  the  railway  station,  and  he  dursen't 
go  outside  in  his  uniform,"  continued  Dan.  "  My  'art  bled 
for  the  pore  young  feller,  an'  I've  promised  to  give  'im 
a  little  trip  to  London  with  us.  The  people  he's  staying 
with  won't  have  him  no  longer.  They've  only  got  one 
bed,  and  directly  he  sees  any  sojers  coming  he  goes  an'  gits 
into  it,  whether  he 's  got  his  boots  on  or  not." 

"  Have  you  told  the  skipper  ?  "  inquired  Joe  sardonically. 

"I  won't  deceive  you,  Joe,  I  'ave  not,"  repHed  the  old 
man.  "He'll  have  to  stay  down  here  of  a  daytime,  an' 
only  come  on  deck  of  a  night  when  it 's  our  watch.  I  told 
'im  what  a  lot  of  good-'arted  chaps  you  was,  and  how  " 

"  How  much  is  he  going  to  give  you  ? "  inquired  Joe 
impatiently. 

"  It 's  only  fit  and  proper  he  should  pay  a  little  for  the 
passage,"  said  Dan. 

"How  nmchV  demanded  Joe,  banging  the  little 
triangular  table  with  his  fist,  and  thereby  causing  the  man 
with  the  antimacassar  to  drop  a  couple  of  stitches. 


38  MANY   CARGOES 

"Twenty-five  shillings,"  said  old  Dan  reluctantly;  "an* 
I  '11  spend  the  odd  five  shillings  on  you  chaps  when  we  git 
to  Limehouse." 

"  I  don't  want  your  money,"  said  Joe ;  "  there 's  a  empty 
bunk  he  can  have;  and  mind,  you  take  all  the  responsi- 
bility— I  won't  have  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

"Thanks,  Joe,"  said  the  old  man,  v^ith  a  sigh  of  relief; 
"  he 's  a  nice  young  chap,  you  're  sure  to  take  to  him.  I  '11 
go  and  give  him  the  tip  to  come  aboard  at  once." 

He  ran  up  on  deck  again  and  whistled  softly,  and  a 
figure,  which  had  been  hiding  behind  a  pile  of  empties, 
came  out,  and,  after  looking  cautiously  around,  dropped 
noiselessly  on  to  the  schooner's  deck,  and  followed  its 
protector  below. 

"Good  evening,  mates,"  said  the  linesman,  gazing 
curiously  and  anxiously  round  him  as  he  deposited  a 
bundle  on  the  table,  and  laid  his  swagger  cane  beside  it, 

"  What 's  your  height  ?  "  inquired  Joe  abruptly.  "  Seven 
foot?" 

"  No,  only  six  foot  four,"  said  the  new  arrrival,  modestly. 
"I'm  not  proud  of  it.  It's  much  easier  for  a  small  man 
to  slip  off  than  a  big  one." 

"  It  licks  me,"  said  Joe  thoughtfully,  "  what  they  want 
'em  back  for — I  should  think  they'd  be  glad  to  git  rid 
o'  such" —  he  paused  a  moment  while  politeness  struggled 
with  feeling,  and  added,  "  skunks. ' 

"P'raps  I've  a  reason  for  being  a  skunk,  p'raps  I 
haven't,"  retorted  Private  Smith,  as  his  face  fell. 

"This '11  be  your  bunk,"  interposed  Dan  hastily;  "put 
your  things  in  there,  and  when  you  are  in  yourself  you  '11  be 
as  comfortable  as  a  oyster  in  its  shell." 

The  visitor  complied,  and,  first  extracting  from  the 
bundle  some  tins  of  meat  and  a  bottle  of  whiskey,  which 
be  placed  upon  the  table,  nervously  requested  the  honour 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  39 

of  the  present  company  to  supper.  With  the  exception 
of  Joe,  who  churlishly  climbed  back  into  his  bunk,  the  men 
complied,  all  agreeing  that  boys  of  Billy's  age  should  be 
reared  on  strong  teetotal  principles. 

Supper  over,  Private  Smith  and  his  protectors  retired  to 
their  couches,  where  the  former  lay  in  much  anxiety  until 
two  in  the  morning,  when  they  got  under  way. 

"  It 's  all  right,  my  lad,"  said  Dan,  after  the  watch  had 
been  set,  as  he  came  and  stood  by  the  deserter's  bunk; 
"  I  've  saved  you — I've  saved  you  for  twenty-five  shillings." 
"  I  wish  it  was  more,"  said  Private  Smith  politely. 
The  old  man  sighed — and  waited. 
"  I  'm  quite  cleaned  out,  though,"  continued  the  deserter, 
"except  fi'pence  ha'penny.     I  shall  have  to  risk  going 
home  in  my  uniform  as  it  is.** 

"Ah,  you'll  get  there  all  right,"  said  Dan  cheerfully; 
"  and  when  you  get  home  no  doubt  you  've  got  friends,  and 
if  it  seems  to  you  as  you  'd  like  to  give  a  little  more  to 
them  as  assisted  you  in  the  hour  of  need,  you  won't  be 
ungrateful,  my  lad,  I  know.     You  ain't  the  sort." 

With  these  words  old  Dan,  patting  him  affectionately, 
retired,  and  the  soldier  lay  trying  to  sleep  in  his  narrow 
quarters  until  he  was  aroused  by  a  grip  on  his  arm. 

"  If  you  want  a  mouthful  of  fresh  air  you  'd  better  come 
on  deck  now,"  said  the  voice  of  Joe;  "it's  my  watch. 
You  can  get  all  the  sleep  you  want  in  the  daytime." 

Glad  to  escape  from  such  stuffy  quarters.  Private  Smith 
clambered  out  of  his  bunk  and  followed  the  other  on  deck. 
It  was  a  fine  clear  night,  and  the  schooner  was  going  along 
under  a  light  breeze;  the  seaman  took  the  wheel,  and, 
turning  to  his  companion,  abruptly  inquired  what  he  meant 
by  deserting  and  worrying  them  with  six  foot  four  of 
underdone  lobster. 

♦•It's  all  through  my  girl,"  said  Private  Smith  meekly; 


40  MANY  CARGOES 

"first  she  jilted  me,  and  made  me  join  the  army;  now 
she's  chucked  the  other  fellow,  and  wrote  to  me  to  go 
back." 

"  An'  now  I  s'pose  the  other  chap  '11  take  your  place  in 
the  army,"  said  Joe.  "  Why,  a  gal  like  that  could  fill  a 
regiment,  if  she  liked.  Pah  1  They  '11  nab  you  too,  in 
that  uniform,  and  you  11  get  six  months,  and  have  to  finish 
your  time  as  well." 

"  It 's  more  than  likely,"  said  the  soldier  gloomily.  I  've 
got  to  tramp  to  Manchester  in  these  clothes,  as  far  as  I  can 
see." 

"What  did  you  give  old  Dan  all  your  money  for?" 
inquired  Joe. 

"I  was  only  thinking  of  getting  away  at  first,"  said 
Smith,  "  and  I  had  to  take  what  was  offered." 

"  Well,  I  '11  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  said  the  seaman. 
"  If  you  're  in  love,  you  ain't  responsible  for  your  actions. 
I  remember  the  first  time  I  got  the  chuck.  I  went  into  a 
public-house  bar,  and  smashed  all  the  glass  and  bottles  I 
could  get  at,  I  felt  as  though  I  must  do  something.  If 
you  were  only  shorter,  I  'd  lend  you  some  clothes." 

"  You  're  a  brick,"  said  the  soldier  gratefully. 

"  I  haven't  got  any  money  I  could  lend  you  either,"  said 
Joe.  "  I  never  do  have  any,  somehow.  But  clothes  you 
must  have." 

He  fell  into  deep  thought,  and  cocked  his  eye  alofl  as 
though  contemplating  a  cutting-out  expedition  on  the  sails, 
while  the  soldier,  sitting  on  the  side  of  the  ship,  waited 
hopefully  for  a  miracle. 

"You'd  better  get  below  again,"  said  Joe  presently. 
"  There  seems  to  be  somebody  moving  below ;  and  if  the 
skipper  sees  you,  you  're  done.  He 's  a  regular  Tartar,  and 
he 's  got  a  brother  what 's  a  sergeant-major  in  the  army. 
He  'd  give  you  up  d'rectly  if  he  spotted  you," 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  41 

"  I  'm  off,"  said  Smith ;  and  with  long,  cat-like  strides  he 
disappeared  swiftly  below. 

For  two  days  all  went  well,  and  Dan  was  beginning  to 
congratulate  himself  upon  his  little  venture,  when  his  peace 
of  mind  was  rudely  disturbed.  The  crew  were  down  below, 
having  their  tea,  when  Billy,  who  had  been  to  the  galley  for 
hot  water,  came  down,  white  and  scared. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said  nervously,  "  I  've  not  had  anything 
to  do  with  this  chap  being  aboard,  have  I  ?  " 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  Dan  quickly. 

"  It 's  all  found  out,"  said  Billy. 

"  What  f  "  cried  the  crew  simultaneously. 

"  Leastways,  it  will  be,"  said  the  youth,  correcting  him- 
self. "  You  *d  better  chuck  him  overboard  while  you  've 
got  time.  I  heard  the  cap'n  tell  the  mate  as  he  was  coming 
down  in  the  fo'c'sle  to-morrow  morning  to  look  round. 
He 's  going  to  have  it  painted." 

•'  This,"  said  Dan,  in  the  midst  of  a  painful  pause,  "  this  is 
what  comes  of  helping  a  fellow-creature.  What 's  to  be  done ? " 

"Tell  the  skipper  the  fo'c'sle  don't  want  painting," 
suggested  Billy. 

The  agonised  old  seaman,  carefully  putting  down  his 
saucer  of  tea,  cuffed  his  head  spitefully. 

•*  It 's  a  smooth  sea,"  said  he,  looking  at  the  perturbed 
countenance  of  Private  Smith,  *'  'an  there's  a  lot  of 
shipping  about.  If  I  was  a  deserter,  sooner  than  be 
caught,  I  would  slip  overboard  to-night  with  a  lifebelt  and 
take  my  chance." 

"  I  wouldn't,"  said  Mr.  Smith,  with  much  decision. 

"You  wouldn't?  Not  if  you  was  quite  near  another 
ship  ?  "  cooed  Dan. 

"  Not  if  I  was  near  fifty  blooming  ships,  all  trying  to  see 
which  could  pick  me  up  first,"  replied  Mr.  Sm.ith,  with 
some  heat 


41  MANY   CARGOES 

•*  Then  we  shall  have  to  leave  you  to  your  fate,"  said  Dan 
solemnly.  "  If  a  man 's  unreasonable,  his  best  friends  can 
do  nothing  for  him." 

"  Chuck  all  his  clothes  overboard,  anyway,"  said  Billy. 

'*  That 's  a  good  idea  o'  the  boy's.  You  leave  his  ears 
alone,"  said  Joe,  stopping  the  ready  hand  of  the 
exasperated  Dan.  "  He 's  got  more  sense  than  any  of  us. 
Can  you  think  of  anything  else,  Billy  ?  What  shall  we  do 
then  ?  " 

The  eyes  of  all  were  turned  upon  their  youthful  deliverer, 
those  of  Mr.  Smith  being  painfully  prominent.  It  was  a 
proud  moment  for  Billy,  and  he  sat  silent  for  some  time, 
with  a  look  of  ineffable  wisdom  and  thought  upon  his  face. 
At  length  he  spoke. 

"  Let  somebody  else  have  a  turn,"  he  said  generously. 

The  voice  ot  the  antimacassar  worker  broke  the  silence. 

"Paint  him  all  over  with  stripes  of  different-coloured 
paint,  and  let  him  pretend  he 's  mad,  and  didn't  know  how 
he  got  here,"  he  said,  with  an  uncontrollable  ring  of  pride 
at  the  idea,  which  was  very  coldly  received.  Private  Smith 
being  noticeably  hard  on  it. 

"  I  know,"  said  Billy  shrilly,  clapping  his  hands.  "  I  've 
got  it.  I  've  got  it.  After  he's  chucked  his  clothes  over- 
board to-night,  let  him  go  overboard  too,  with  a  line." 

"  And  tow  him  the  rest  o'  the  way,  and  chuck  biscuits  to 
him,  I  suppose,"  snarled  Dan. 

"No,"  said  the  youthful  genius  scornfully;  "pretend 
he's  been  upset  from  a  boat,  and  has  been  swimming 
about,  and  we  heard  him  cry  out  for  help  and  rescued 
him." 

"  It  *s  about  the  best  way  out  of  it,"  said  Joe,  after  some 
deliberation ;  "  it 's  warm  weather,  and  you  won't  take  no 
harm,  mate.  Do  it  in  my  watch,  and  I'll  pull  you  out 
directly." 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  4f 

"  Wouldn't  it  do  if  you  just  chucked  a  bucket  of  water 
over  me  and  said  you'd  pulled  me  out,"  suggested  the 
victim.     "  The  other  thing  seems  a  downright  //(?." 

"No,"  said  Billy  authoritatively,  "you've  got  to  look 
half-drowned,  and  swallow  a  lot  of  water,  and  your  eyes  be 
all  bloodshot." 

Everybody  being  eager  for  the  adventure,  except  Private 
Smith,  the  arrangements  were  at  once  concluded,  and  the 
approach  of  night  impatiently  awaited.  It  was  just  before 
midnight  when  Smith,  who  had  forgotten  for  the  time  hl« 
troubles  in  sleep,  was  shaken  into  wakefulness. 

"  Cold  water,  sir  ?  "  said  Billy  gleefully. 

In  no  mood  for  frivolity,  Private  Smith  rose  and  followed 
the  youth  on  deck.  The  air  struck  him  as  chill  as  he  stood 
there ;  but,  for  all  that,  it  was  with  a  sense  of  relief  that  he 
saw  Her  Majesty's  uniform  go  over  the  side  and  sink  into 
the  dark  water. 

"He  don't  look  much  with  his  padding  off,  does  he?" 
said  Billy,  who  had  been  eyeing  him  critically. 

"  You  go  below,"  said  Dan  sharply. 

"Gam,"  said  Billy  indignantly;  "I  want  to  see  the 
fun  as  well  as  you  do.     I  thought  of  it." 

"  Fun  ?  "  said  the  old  man  severely.  "  Fun  ?  To  see  a 
feller  creature  suffering,  and  perhaps  drowned  " 

"I  don't  think  I  had  better  go,"  said  the  victim;  "It 
seems  rather  underhand." 

"Yes,  you  will,"  said  Joe.  "Wind  this  line  round  an* 
round  your  arm,  and  just  swim  about  gently  till  I  pull 
you  in." 

Sorely  against  his  inclination  Private  Smith  took  hold 
of  the  line,  and,  hanging  over  the  side  of  the  schooner, 
felt  the  temperature  with  his  foot,  and,  slowly  and  tenderly, 
with  many  little  gasps,  committed  his  body  to  the  deep. 
Joe  paid  out  the  line  and  waited,  letting  out  more  line, 


44 


MANY  CARGOES 


when  the  man  in  the  water,  who  was  getting  anxious, 
started  to  come  in  hand  over  hand. 

"That'll  do,"  said  Dan  at  length. 

"I  think  it  will,"  said  Joe,  and,  putting  his  hand  to 
his  mouth,  gave  a  mighty  shout.  It  was  answered  almost 
directly  by  startled  roars  from  the  cabin,  and  the  skipper 
and  mate  came  rushing  hastily  upon  deck,  to  see  the  crew, 
in  their  sleeping  gear,  forming  an  excited  group  round  Joe, 
and  peering  eagerly  over  the  side. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  demanded  the  skipper. 

"Somebody  in  the  water,  sir,"  said  Joe,  relinquishing 
the  wheel  to  one  of  the  other  seamen,  and  hauling  in 
the  line.  "I  heard  a  cry  from  the  water  and  threw  a 
line,  and,  by  gum,  I  've  hooked  it  I " 

He  hauled  in,  lustily  aided  by  the  skipper,  until  the 
long  white  body  of  Private  Smith,  blanched  with  the  cold, 
came  bumping  against  the  schooner's  side. 

"It's  a  mermaid,"  said  the  mate,  who  was  inclined  to  be 
superstitious,  as  he  peered  doubtfully  down  at  it  "  Let  it 
go,  Joe." 

"  Haul  it  in,  boys,"  said  the  skipper  impatiently ;  and  two 
of  the  men  clambered  over  the  side  and,  stooping  down, 
raised  it  from  the  water. 

In  the  midst  of  a  puddle,  which  he  brought  with  him, 
Private  Smith  was  laid  on  the  deck,  and,  waving  his  arms 
about,  fought  wildly  for  his  breath. 

"  Fetch  one  of  them  empties,"  said  the  skipper  quickly, 
as  he  pointed  to  some  barrels  ranged  along  the  side. 

The  men  rolled  one  over,  and  then  aided  the  skipper  in 
placing  the  long  fair  form  of  their  visitor  across  it,  and 
to  trundle  it  lustily  up  and  down  the  deck,  his  legs  forming 
ronvenient  handles  for  the  energetic  operators. 

"  He 's  commg  round,"  said  the  mate,  checking  them ; 
"he's  speakmg.     How  do  you  feel,  my  poor  fellow?" 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  45 

He  put  his  ear  down,  but  the  action  was  unnecessary, 
Private  Smith  felt  bad,  and,  in  the  plainest  English  he 
could  think  of  at  the  moment,  said  so  distinctly. 

"He's  swearing,"  said  the  mate.  "He  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  himself." 

"Yes,"  said  the  skipper  austerely;  "and  him  so  near 
death  too.     How  did  you  get  in  the  water  ?  " 

"  Went  for  a swim/'  panted  Smith  surlily. 

"  Swim  f  "  echoed  the  skipper.  "  Why,  we  're  ten  miles 
from  land ! " 

"His  mind's  wandering,  pore  feller,"  interrupted  Joe 
hurriedly.     "  What  boat  did  you  fall  out  of,  matey  ?  " 

"A  row-boat,"  said  Smith,  trying  to  roll  out  of  reach 
of  the  skipper,  who  was  down  on  his  knees  flaying  him 
alive  with  a  roller-towel.  "I  had  to  undress  in  the  water 
to  keep  afloat.     I  've  lost  all  my  clothes." 

"  Pore  feller,"  said  Dan. 

"A  gold  watch  and  chain,  my  purse,  and  three  of  the 
nicest  fellers  that  ever  breathed,"  continued  Smith,  who 
was  now  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing. 

"  Poor  chaps,"  said  the  skipper  solemnly.  "  Any  of  'em 
leave  any  family  ?  " 

"  Four,"  said  Smith  sadly. 

"  Children  ?  "  queried  the  mate. 

"  Families,"  said  Smith. 

"Look  here,"  said  the  mate,  but  the  watchful  Joe 
interrupted  him. 

"His  mind's  wandering,"  said  he  hastily.  "He  can't 
count,  pore  chap.     We  'd  better  git  him  to  bed." 

"  Ah,  do,"  said  the  skipper,  and,  assisted  by  his  friends, 
the  rescued  man  was  half  led,  half  carried  below  and  put 
between  the  blankets,  where  he  lay  luxuriously  sipping 
ft  glass  of  brandy  and  water,  sent  from  the  cabin. 

"How'd  I  do  it?"  he  inquired,  with  a  satisfied  air. 


46  MANY  CARGOES 

•'  There  was  no  need  to  tell  all  them  lies  about  it,"  said 
Dan  sharply ;  "  instead  of  one  little  lie  you  told  half-a- 
dozen.  I  don't  want  nothing  more  to  do  with  you.  You 
start  afresh  now,  like  a  new-born  babe." 

"All  right,"  said  Smith  shortly;  and,  being  very  much 
fatigued  with  his  exertions,  and  much  refreshed  by  the 
brandy,  fell  into  a  deep  and  peaceful  sleep. 

The  morning  was  well  advanced  when  he  awoke,  and 
the  fo'c'sle  empty  except  for  the  faithful  Joe,  who  was 
standing  by  his  side,  with  a  heap  of  clothing  under  his 
arm. 

"Try  these  on,"  said  he,  as  Smith  stared  at  him  half 
awake  ;  "  they  '11  be  better  than  nothing,  at  any  rate." 

The  soldier  leaped  from  his  bunk  and  gratefully  proceeded 
to  dress  himself,  Joe  eyeing  him  critically  as  the  trousers 
cUmbed  up  his  long  legs,  and  the  sleeves  of  the  jacket  did 
their  best  to  conceal  his  elbows, 

"What  do  I  look  hke?"  he  inquired  anxiously,  as  he 
finished. 

"Six  foot  an'  a  half  o'  misery,"  piped  the  shrill  voice 
of  Billy  promptly,  as  he  thrust  his  head  in  at  the  fo'c'sle. 
"  You  can't  go  to  church  in  those  clothes." 

"Well,  they'll  do  for  the  ship,  but  you  can't  go  ashore 
in  'em,"  said  Joe,  as  he  edged  towards  the  ladder,  and 
suddenly  sprang  up  a  step  or  two  to  let  fly  at  the  boy. 
"The  old  man  wants  to  see  you;  be  careful  what  you  say 
to  him." 

With  a  very  unsuccessful  attempt  to  appear  unconscious 
of  the  figure  he  cut.  Smith  went  up  on  deck  for  the  inter- 
view. 

"We  can't  do  anything  until  we  get  to  London,"  said 
the  skipper,  as  he  made  copious  notes  of  Smith's  adven- 
tures. "  As  soon  as  we  get  there,  I  '11  lend  you  the  money 
to  telegraph  to  your  friends  to  tell  'em  you're  safe  and 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  47 

to  send  you  some  clothes,  and  of  course  you  'U  have  free 
board  and  lodging  till  it  comes,  and  I'll  write  out  an 
account  of  it  for  the  newspapers." 

"  You  're  very  good,"  said  Smith  blankly. 

"And  I  don't  know  what  you  are,"  said  the  skipper, 
interrogatively;  "but  you  ought  to  go  in  for  swimming 
as  a  profession — six  hours'  swimming  about  Uke  that  is 
wonderful." 

"You  don't  know  what  you  can  do  till  you  have  to," 
said  Smith  modestly,  as  he  backed  slowly  away;  "but 
I  never  want  to  see  the  water  again  as  long  as  I  live." 

The  two  remaining  days  of  their  passage  passed  all 
too  quickly  for  the  men,  who  were  casting  about  for  some 
way  out  of  the  difficulty  which  they  foresaw  would  arise 
when  they  reached  London. 

"If  you'd  only  got  decent  clothes,"  said  Joe,  as  they 
passed  Gravesend,  "  you  could  go  off  and  send  a  telegram, 
and  not  come  back;  but  you  couldn't  go  five  yards  in  them 
things  without  having  a  crowd  after  you." 

"  I  shall  have  to  be  takeo  I  s'pose,"  said  Smith  moodily. 

"An'  poor  old  Dan '11  get  six  months  hard  for  helping 
you  off,"  said  Joe  sympathetically,  as  a  bright  idea  occurred 
to  him. 

"  Rubbish  1 "  said  Dan  uneasily.  "  He  can  stick  to  his 
tale  of  being  upset;  anyway,  the  skipper  saw  him  pulled 
out  of  the  water.  He 's  too  honest  a  chap  to  get  an  old 
man  into  trouble  for  trying  to  help  him." 

"He  must  have  a  new  rig  out,  Dan,"  said  Joe  softly. 
"You  an'  me '11  go  an'  buy  'em.  I'll  do  the  choosing, 
and  you  '11  do  the  paying.  Why,  it  '11  be  a  reg'lar  treat  for 
you  to  lay  out  a  little  money,  Dan.  We'll  have  quite  an 
evening's  shopping,  everything  of  the  best." 

The  infuriated  Dan  gasped  for  breath,  and  looked 
helplessly  at  the  grinning  crew. 


48  MANY   CARGOES 

"  1 11  see  him — overboard  first,"  he  said  furiously. 

"Please  yourself,"  said  Joe  shortly.  "If  he's  caught 
you'll  get  six  months.  As  it  is,  you've  got  a  chance  of 
doing  a  nice,  kind  little  Christian  act,  becos,  o'  course, 
that  twenty-five  bob  you  got  out  of  him  won't  anything  like 
pay  for  his  toggery." 

Almost  beside  himself  with  indignation,  the  old  man 
moved  off,  and  said  not  another  word  until  they  were  made 
fast  to  the  wharf  at  Limehouse.  He  did  not  even  break 
silence  when  Joe,  taking  him  affectionately  by  the  arm,  led 
him  aft  to  the  skipper. 

"  Me  an'  Dan,  sir,"  said  Joe  very  respectfully,  "  would 
like  to  go  ashore  for  a  little  shopping.  Dan  has  very 
kindly  offered  to  lend  that  pore  chap  the  money  for  some 
clothes,  and  he  wants  me  to  go  with  him  to  help  carry 
them." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  the  skipper,  with  a  benevolent  smile  at 
the  aged  philanthropist  "You'd  better  go  at  once,  afore 
the  shops  shut." 

"We'll  run,  sir,"  said  Joe,  and  taking  Dan  by  the  arm, 
dragged  him  into  the  street  at  a  trot. 

Nearly  a  couple  of  hours  passed  before  they  returned, 
and  no  child  watched  with  greater  eagerness  the  opening 
of  a  birthday  present  than  Smith  watched  the  undoing  of 
the  numerous  parcels  with  which  they  were  laden. 

"  He 's  a  reg'lar  fairy  godmother,  ain't  he  ?  "  said  Joe,  as 
Smith  joyously  dressed  himself  in  a  very  presentable  tweed 
suit,  serviceable  boots,  and  a  bowler  hat.  "We  had  a 
dreadful  job  to  get  a  suit  big  enough,  an'  the  only  one  w© 
could  get  was  rather  more  money  than  we  wanted  to  give, 
wasn't  it,  Dan  ?  " 

The  fairy  godmother  strove  manfully  with  his  feelings. 

"  You  '11  do  now,"  said  Joe.  "  I  ain't  got  much,  bat 
what  I  have  you're  welcome  to."    He  put  his  hand  into 


CONTRABAND   OF  WAR  4^ 

his  pocket  and  pulled  out  some  loose  coin.  "What  hays 
you  got,  mates?" 

With  decent  good  will  the  other  men  turned  out  their 
pockets,  and,  adding  to  the  store,  heartily  pressed  it  upon 
the  reluctant  Smith,  who,  after  shaking  hands  gratefully, 
followed  Joe  on  deck. 

"You've  got  enough  to  pay  your  fare,"  said  the  latter j 
"an*  I've  told  the  skipper  you  are  going  ashore  to  send 
off  telegrams.  If  you  send  the  money  back  to  Dan,  I'U 
never  forgive  you." 

"  I  won't,  then,"  said  Smith  firmly ;  "  but  1 11  send  theirs 
back  to  the  other  chaps.     Good-bye." 

Joe  shook  him  by  the  hand  again,  and  bade  him  go 
while  the  coast  was  clear,  advice  which  Smith  hastened  to 
follow,  though  he  turned  and  looked  back  to  wave  his  hand 
to  the  crew,  who  had  come  up  on  deck  silently  to  see  him 
off;  all  but  the  philanthropist,  who  was  down  below  with 
ft  stump  of  lead-pencil  and  a  piece  of  paper  doing  suin». 


A    BLACK   AFFAIR 

•*  T  DIDNT  want  to  bring  it,"  said  Captain  Gubson, 

X  regarding  somewhat  unfavourably  a  grey  parrot  whoso 
cage  was  hanging  against  the  mainmast,  "but  my  old 
uncle  was  so  set  on  it  I  had  to.  He  said  a  sea-voyage 
would  set  its  *elth  up." 

"It  seems  to  be  all  right  at  present,"  said  the  mate, 
who  was  tenderly  sucking  his  forefinger;  "best  of  spirits, 
I  should  say." 

"It's  playful,"  assented  the  skipper.  "The  old  man 
thinks  a  rare  lot  of  it.  I  think  I  shall  have  a  little  bit  in 
that  quarter,  so  keep  your  eye  on  the  beggar." 

"  Scratch  Poll ! "  said  the  parrot,  giving  its  bill  a  pre- 
liminary strop  on  its  perch.     "  Scratch  poor  Polly  I " 

It  bent  its  head  against  the  bars,  and  waited  patiently  to 
play  off  what  it  had  always  regarded  as  the  most  con- 
summate practical  joke  in  existence.  The  first  doubt  it 
had  ever  had  about  it  occurred  when  the  mate  came 
forward  and  obligingly  scratched  it  with  the  stem  of  his 
pipe.  It  was  a  wholly  unforeseen  development,  and  the 
parrot,  ruffling  its  feathers,  edged  along  its  perch  and 
brooded  darkly  at  the  other  end  of  it. 

Opinion  before  the  mast  was  also  against  the  new 
arrival,  the  general  view  being  that  the  wild  jealousy  which 
raged  in  the  bosom  of  the  ship's  cat  would  sooner  or  later 
lead  to  mischief. 

"Old  Satan  don't  like  it,"  said  the  cook,  shaking  his 

SO 


A   BLACK   AFFAIR  51 

head.  "  The  blessed  bird  hadn't  been  aboard  ten  minutes 
before  Satan  was  prowling  around.  The  blooming  image 
waited  till  he  was  about  a  foot  off  the  cage,  and  then 
he  did  the  perlite  and  asked  him  whether  he'd  Hke  a 
glass  o'  beer.  /  never  see  a  cat  so  took  aback  in  all 
my  life.     Never." 

"There'll  be  trouble  between  'em,"  said  old  Sam,  who 
was  the  cat's  special  protector,  "  mark  my  words." 

•'I'd  put  my  money  on  the  parrot,"  said  one  of  the  men 
confidently.  "  It 's  'ad  a  crool  bit  out  of  the  mate's  finger. 
Where  'ud  the  cat  be  agin  that  beak  ?  " 

"Well,  you'd  lose  your  money,"  said  Sam.  "If  you 
want  to  do  the  cat  a  kindness,  every  time  you  see  him  near 
that  cage  cuflf  his  'ed." 

The  crew  being  much  attached  to  the  cat,  which  had 
been  presented  to  them  when  a  kitten  by  the  mate's  wife, 
acted  upon  the  advice  with  so  much  zest  that  for  the  next 
two  days  the  indignant  animal  was  like  to  have  been  killed 
with  kindness.  On  the  third  day,  however,  the  parrot's 
cage  being  on  the  cabin  table,  the  cat  stole  furtively  down, 
and,  at  the  pressing  request  of  the  occupant  itself,  scratched 
its  head  for  it 

The  skipper  was  the  first  to  discover  the  mischief, 
and  he  came  on  deck  and  published  the  news  in  a  voice 
which  struck  a  chill  to  all  hearts. 

"Where's  that  black  devil  got  to?"  he  yelled 

"  Anything  wrong,  sk  ?  "  asked  Sam  anxiously. 

"Come  and  look  here,"  said  the  skipper.  He  led  the 
way  to  the  cabin,  where  the  mate  and  one  of  the  crew  were 
already  standing,  shaking  their  heads  over  the  parrot 

"What  do  you  make  of  that?"  demanded  the  skipper 
fiercely. 

"Too  much  dry  food,  sir,"  said  Sam,  after  due  de- 
liberation. 


5t  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Too  much  what  ?  "  bellowed  the  skipper. 

"Too  much  dry  food,"  repeated  Sam  firmly  "A 
parrot — a  grey  parrot — wants  plenty  o'  sop.  If  it  don't 
get  it,  it  moults." 

"It's  had  too  much  rat/,"  said  the  skipper  fiercely, 
"and  you  know  it,  and  overboard  it  goes." 

"  I  don't  believe  it  was  the  cat,  sir,"  interposed  the  other 
man ;  "  it 's  too  soft-hearted  to  do  a  thing  like  that." 

"You  can  shut  your  jaw,"  said  the  skipper,  reddening. 
"  Who  asked  you  to  come  down  here  at  all  ?  " 

"  Nobody  saw  the  cat  do  it,"  urged  the  mate. 

The  skipper  said  nothing,  but,  stooping  down,  picked  up 
a  tail  feather  from  the  floor,  and  laid  it  on  the  table.  He 
then  went  on  deck,  followed  by  the  others,  and  began 
calling,  in  seductive  tones,  for  the  cat.  No  reply  forth 
coming  from  the  sagacious  animal,  which  had  gone  into 
hiding,  he  turned  to  Sam,  and  bade  him  call  it. 

"  No,  sir,  I  won't  'ave  no  'and  in  it,"  said  the  old  man, 
**  Putting  aside  my  liking  for  the  animal,  Ptn  not  going  to 
*ave  anything  to  do  with  the  killing  of  a  black  cat" 

"  Rubbish  I "  said  the  skipper. 

"Very  good,  sir,"  said  Sam,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
"you  know  best,  o*  course.  You're  eddicated  and  I'm 
not,  an'  p'raps  you  can  afford  to  make  a  laugh  o'  such 
things.  I  knew  one  man  who  killed  a  black  cat  an'  he 
went  mad.  There's  something  very  pecooliar  about  that 
cat  o'  ours." 

"It  knows  more  than  we  do,"  said  one  of  the  crew, 
shaking  his  head.  "  That  time  you — I  mean  we — ran  the 
smack  down,  that  cat  was  expecting  of  it  'ours  before.  It 
was  like  a  wild  thing." 

"Look  at  the  weather  weVe  'ad — look  at  the  trips  we've 
made  since  he's  been  aboard,"  said  the  old  man.  "Tell 
me  it 's  chance  if  you  like,  but  I  know  better." 


A  BLACK  AFFAIR  Jj 

The  skipper  hesitated.  He  was  a  superstitious  man 
^ven  for  a  sailor,  and  his  weakness  was  so  well  known  that 
he  had  become  a  sympathetic  receptacle  for  every  ghost 
story  which,  by  reason  of  its  crudeness  or  lack  of  cor- 
roboration, had  been  rejected  by  other  experts.  He  was  a 
perfect  reference  library  for  omens,  and  his  interpretations 
of  dreams  had  gained  for  him  a  widespread  reputation. 

"  That 's  all  nonsense,"  he  said,  pausing  uneasily ;  "  still, 
I  only  want  to  be  just.  There 's  nothing  vindictive  about 
me,  and  I  '11  have  no  hand  in  it  myself  Joe,  just  tie  a 
lump  of  coal  to  that  cat  and  heave  it  overboard." 

"Not  me,"  said  the  cook,  following  Sam's  lead,  and 
working  up  a  shudder,  "Not  for  fifty  pun  in  gold.  I 
don't  want  to  be  haunted." 

"  The  parrot 's  a  little  better  now,  sir,"  said  one  of  the 
men,  taking  advantage  of  his  hesitation,  "  he 's  opened  one 
eye." 

"Well,  I  only  want  to  be  just,"  repeated  the  skipper. 
"I  won't  do  anything  in  a  hurry,  but,  mark  my  words, 
if  the  parrot  dies  that  cat  goes  overboard." 

Contrary  to  expectations,  the  bird  was  still  alive  when 
London  was  reached,  though  the  cook,  who  from  his  con- 
nection with  the  cabin  had  suddenly  reached  a  position 
of  unusual  importance,  reported  great  loss  of  strength  and 
irritability  of  temper.  It  was  still  alive,  but  faihng  fast 
on  the  day  they  were  to  put  to  sea  again ;  and  the  fo'c'sle,  in 
preparation  for  the  worst,  stowed  their  pet  away  in  the  paint- 
locker,  and  discussed  the  situation. 

Their  council  was  interrupted  by  the  mysterious  behaviour 
of  the  cook,  who,  having  gone  out  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  bread, 
suddenly  broke  in  upon  them  more  in  the  manner  of  a 
member  of  a  secret  society  than  a  humble  but  useful  unit 
of  a  ship's  company. 

**  Where 's  the  cap'n  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  as 


54  MANY   CARGOES 

he  took  a  seat  on  the  locker  with  the  sack  of  bread  between 
his  knees. 

"  In  the  cabin,"  said  Sam,  regarding  his  antics  with  some 
disfavour.     "  What 's  wrong,  cookie  ?  " 

"  What  d'  yer  think  I  've  got  in  here  ? "  asked  the  cook, 
patting  the  bag. 

The  obvious  reply  to  this  question  was,  of  course,  bread  J 
but  as  it  was  known  that  the  cook  had  departed  specially  to 
buy  some,  and  that  he  could  hardly  ask  a  question  involving 
such  a  simple  answer,  nobody  gave  it 

"  It  come  to  me  all  of  a  sudden,"  said  the  cook,  in  a 
thrilling  whisper.  "  I  'd  just  bought  the  bread  and  left  the 
shop,  when  I  see  a  big  black  cat,  the  very  image  of  ours, 
sitting  on  a  doorstep.  I  just  stooped  down  to  stroke  its 
'ed,  when  it  come  to  me." 

*'  They  will  sometimes,"  said  one  of  the  seamen. 
"  I  don't  mean  that,"  said  the  cook,  with  the  contempt 
of  genius.  "  I  mean  the  idea  did.  Ses  I  to  myself,  '  You 
might  be  old  Satan's  brother  by  the  look  of  you ;  an'  if  the 
cap'n  wants  to  kill  a  cat,  let  it  be  you,'  I  ses.  And  with 
that,  before  it  could  say  Jack  Robinson,  I  picked  it  up  by 
the  scruff  o'  the  neck  and  shoved  it  in  the  bag." 

"What,  all  in  along  of  our  bread?"  said  the  previous 
interrupter,  in  a  pained  voice. 

"  Some  of  yer  are  'ard  ter  please,"  said  the  cook,  deeply 
offended. 

"Don't   mind    him,   cook,"    said    the    admiring   Sara. 
"You're  a  masterpiece,  that's  what  you  are." 

"Of  course,  if  any  of  you've  got  a  better  plan*— 
said  the  cook  generously. 

"  Don't  talk  rubbish,  cook,"  said  Sam ;  "  fetch  the  two 
oats  out  and  put  'em  together." 

"  Don't  mix  'em,"  said  the  cook  wamingly ;  "  for  you  '11 
never  know  which  is  which  agin  if  you  do." 


A  BLACK   AFFAIR  fS 

He  cautiously  opened  the  top  of  the  sack  and  produced 
his  captive,  and  Satan,  having  been  relieved  from  his  prison, 
the  two  animals  were  carefully  compared. 

"They're  as  like  as  two  lumps  o'  coal,"  said  Sam  slowly. 
"  Lord,  what  a  joke  on  the  old  man.  I  must  tell  the  mate 
o'  this ;  he  '11  enjoy  it" 

"  It  '11  be  all  right  if  the  parrot  don't  die,"  said  the  dainty 
pessimist,  still  harping  on  his  pet  theme.  "  All  that  bread 
spoilt,  and  two  cats  aboard." 

"  Don't  mind  what  he  ses,"  said  Sam ;  "  you  *re  a  brick, 
that 's  what  you  are.  I  '11  just  make  a  few  holes  in  the  lid 
o'  the  boy's  chest,  and  pop  old  Satan  in.  You  don't  mind, 
do  you,  Billy  ?  " 

"  Of  course  he  don't,"  said  the  other  men  indignantly. 

Matters  being  thus  agreeably  arranged,  Sam  got  a  gimlet, 
and  prepared  the  chest  for  the  reception  of  its  tenant,  who, 
convinced  that  he  was  being  put  out  of  the  way  to  make 
room  for  a  rival,  made  a  frantic  fight  for  freedom. 

"  Now  get  something  'eavy  and  put  on  the  top  of  it,"  said 
Sam,  having  convinced  himself  that  the  lock  was  broken; 
"and,  Billy,  put  the  noo  cat  in  the  paint-locker  till  we 
start ;  it 's  home-sick." 

The  boy  obeyed,  and  the  understudy  was  kept  in  durance 
vile  until  they  were  off  Limehouse,  when  he  came  on  deck 
and  nearly  ended  his  career  there  and  then  by  attempting 
to  jump  over  the  bulwark  into  the  next  garden.  For  some 
time  he  paced  the  deck  in  a  perturbed  fashion,  and  then, 
leaping  on  the  stem,  mewed  plaintively  as  his  native  city 
receded  farther  and  farther  from  his  view, 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  old  Satan  ?  "  said  the  mate,  who 
had  been  let  into  the  secret.  "He  seems  to  have  some- 
thing on  his  mind." 

"  He  '11  have  something  round  his  neck  presently,"  said 
the  skipper  grimly. 


56  MANY  CARGOES 

The  prophecy  was  fulfilled  some  three  hours  later,  when 
he  came  up  on  deck  ruefully  regarding  the  remains  of  a 
bird  whose  vocabulary  had  once  been  the  pride  of  its 
native  town.  He  threw  it  overboard  without  a  word,  and 
then,  seizing  the  innocent  cat,  who  had  followed  him  under 
the  impression  that  it  was  about  to  lunch,  produced  half  a 
brick  attached  to  a  string,  and  tied  it  round  his  neck.  The 
crew,  who  were  enjoying  the  joke  immensely,  raised  a  howl 
of  protest. 

"The  Skylark  '11  never  have  another  like  it,  sir,"  said 
Sam  solemnly.     "  That  cat  was  the  luck  of  the  ship." 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  your  old  woman's  yarns,"  said  the 
skipper  brutally.     "  If  you  want  the  cat,  go  and  fetch  it." 

He  stepped  aft  as  he  spoke,  and  sent  the  gentle  stranger 
hurtling  through  the  air.  There  was  a  "plomp"  as  it 
reached  the  water,  a  bubble  or  two  came  to  the  surface,  and 
all  was  over. 

"  That 's  the  last  o'  that,"  he  said,  turning  away. 
The  old  man  shook  his  head.     "  You  can't  kill  a  black 
cat  for  nothing,"  said  he,  "  mark  my  words  I " 

The  skipper,  who  was  in  a  temper  at  the  time,  thought 
little  of  them,  but  they  recurred  to  him  vividly  the  next 
day.  The  wind  had  freshened  during  the  night,  and  rain 
was  falling  heavily.  On  deck  the  crew  stood  about  in 
oilskins,  while  below,  the  boy,  in  his  new  capacity  of  gaoler, 
was  ministering  to  the  wants  of  an  ungrateful  prisoner, 
when  the  cook,  happening  to  glance  that  way,  was  horrified 
to  see  the  animal  emerge  from  the  fo'c'sle.  It  eluded  easily 
the  frantic  clutch  of  the  boy  as  he  sprang  up  the  ladder 
after  it,  and  walked  leisurely  along  the  deck  in  the  direction 
of  the  r^bin.  Just  as  the  crew  had  given  it  up  for  lost  it 
encountered  .Sam,  and  the  next  moment,  despite  its  cries, 
was  caught  up  and  huddled  away  beneath  his  stiff  clammy 
oilskins      At  the  noise  the  skipper,  who  was  talking  to  the 


A  BLACK  AFFAIR  J7 

mate,  turned  as  though  he  had  been  shot,  and  gazed  wildly 
round  him. 

"  Dick,"  said  he,  "  can  you  hear  a  cat  ?  " 

"  Cat ! "  said  the  mate,  in  accents  of  great  astonishment 

"  I  thought  I  heard  it,"  said  the  puzzled  skipper, 

••  Fancy,  sir,"  said  Dick  firmly,  as  a  mewing,  appalling  in 
its  wrath,  came  from  beneath  Sam's  coat. 

•'  Did  you  hear  it,  Sam  ?  "  called  the  skipper,  as  the  old 
man  was  moving  off. 

"Hear  what,  sir?"  inquired  Sam  respectfully,  without 
turning  round. 

"  Nothing,"  said  the  skipper,  collecting  himself. 
"Nothing.     All  right." 

The  old  man,  hardly  able  to  believe  in  his  good  fortune, 
made  his  way  forward,  and,  seizing  a  favourable  opportunity, 
handed  his  ungrateful  burden  back  to  the  boy. 

"  Fancy  you  heard  a  cat  just  now  ? "  inquired  the  mate 
casually. 

"  Well,  between  you  an'  me,  Dick,"  said  the  skipper,  in 
a  mysterious  voice,  "  I  did,  and  it  wasn't  fancy  neither.  I 
heard  that  cat  as  plain  as  if  it  was  alive." 

"  Well,  I've  heard  of  such  things,"  said  the  other,  "but 
I  don't  believe  'em.  What  a  lark  if  the  old  cat  comes  back 
climbing  up  over  the  side  out  of  the  sea  to-night,  with  the 
brick  hanging  round  its  neck." 

The  skipper  stared  at  him  for  some  time  without 
speaking.  "  If  that 's  your  idea  of  a  lark,"  he  said  at 
length,  in  a  voice  which  betrayed  traces  of  some  emotion, 
"  it  ain't  mine." 

"  Well,  if  you  hear  it  again,"  said  the  mate  cordially, 
"you  might  let  me  know,  I'm  rather  interested  in  such 
things." 

The  skipper,  hearing  no  more  of  it  ihat  day,  tried  hard 
to  persuade  himself  that  he  was  the  victim  of  imagination, 


ft  MANY  CARGOES 

but,  in  spite  of  this,  he  was  pleased  at  night,  as  he  stood  at 
the  wheel,  to  reflect  on  the  sense  of  companionship 
aflforded  by  the  look-out  in  the  bows.  On  his  part  the 
look-out  was  quite  charmed  with  the  unwonted  affability  of 
the  skipper,  as  he  yelled  out  to  him  two  or  three  times  on 
matters  only  faintly  connected  with  the  progress  of  the 
schooner. 

The  night,  which  had  been  dirty,  cleared  somewhat,  and 
the  bright  crescent  of  the  moon  appeared  above  a  heavy 
bank  of  clouds,  as  the  cat,  which  had  by  dint  of  using  its 
back  as  a  lever  at  length  got  free  from  that  cursed  chest, 
licked  its  shapely  limbs,  and  came  up  on  deck.  After  its 
stifling  prison,  the  air  was  simply  delicious. 

"  Bob  1 "  yelled  the  skipper  suddenly. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ! "  said  the  look-out,  in  a  startled  voice 

"  Did  you  mew  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper. 

"  Did  I  wot,  sir  ?  "  cried  the  astonished  Bob. 

"  Mew,"  said  the  skipper  sharply,  "  like  a  cat  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  said  the  offended  seaman.  '*  \Vhat  'ud  I  want 
to  do  that  for?" 

'*  I  don't  know  what  you  want  to  for,"  said  the  skipper, 
looking  round  him  uneasily.  "There's  some  more  raio 
coming,  Bob." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  Bob. 

"  Lot  o'  rain  we  've  had  this  summer,"  said  the  skipper, 
in  a  meditative  bawl. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  Bob.  "Sailing-ship  on  the  port  Dow^ 
sir." 

The  conversation  dropped,  the  skipper,  anxious  to  divert 
his  thoughts,  watching  the  dark  mass  of  sail  as  it  came 
plunging  out  of  the  darkness  into  the  moonlight  until  it 
was  abreast  of  his  own  craft.  His  eyes  followed  it  as  it 
passed  his  quarter,  so  that  he  saw  not  the  stealthy 
approach    of    the    cat    which    came    from    behind    the 


A  BLACK  AFFAIR  $9 

companion,  and  sat  down  close  by  him.  For  over 
thirty  hours  the  animal  had  been  subjected  to  the 
grossest  indignities  at  the  hands  of  every  man  on  board 
the  ship  except  one.  That  one  was  the  skipper,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  its  subsequent  behaviour  was  a  direct 
recognition  of  that  fact.  It  rose  to  its  feet,  and  crossing 
over  to  the  unconscious  skipper,  rubbed  its  head  affec- 
tionately and  vigorously  against  his  leg. 

From  simple  causes  great  events  do  spring.  The  skipper 
sprang  four  yards,  and  let  off  a  screech  which  was  the 
subject  of  much  comment  on  the  barque  which  had  just 
passed.  When  Bob,  who  came  shuffling  up  at  the  double, 
reached  him  he  was  leaning  against  the  side,  incapable  of 
speech,  and  shaking  all  over. 

"Anything  wrong,  sir?"  inquired  the  seaman  anxiously, 
as  he  ran  to  the  wheel. 

The  skipper  pulled  himself  together  a  bit,  and  got  closer 
to  his  companion. 

"  Believe  me  or  not,  Bob,"  he  said  at  length,  in  trem- 
bling accents,  "just  as  you  please,  but  the  ghost  of  that 

cat,  I  mean  the  ghost  of  that  poor  affectionate  animal 

which  I  drowned,  and  which  I  wish  I  hadn't,  came  and 
rubbed  itself  up  against  my  leg." 

"  Which  leg  ?  "  inquired  Bob,  who  was  ever  careful  about 
details. 

"  What  the  blazes  does  it  matter  which  leg  ?  "  demanded 
the  skipper,  whose  nerves  were  in  a  terrible  state.  "Ah, 
look — look  there  !  " 

The  seaman  followed  his  outstretched  finger,  and  his 
heart  failed  him  as  he  saw  the  cat,  with  its  back  arched, 
gingerly  picking  its  way  along  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

"  I  can't  see  nothing,"  he  said  doggedly. 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  can,  Bob,"  said  the  skipper  in  a 
melancholy  voice,  as  the  cat  vanished  in  the  bows ;  "  it  *a 


00  MANY  CARGOES 

evidently  only  meant  for  me  to  see.  What  it  means  I 
don't  know.  I  'm  going  down  to  turn  in.  I  ain't  fit  for 
duty.  You  don't  mind  being  left  alone  till  the  mate  comes 
up,  do  you  ?  " 

"  I  ain't  afraid,"  said  Bob. 

His  superior  officer  disappeared  below,  and,  shaking  the 
sleepy  mate,  who  protested  strongly  against  the  proceedings, 
narrated  in  trembling  tones  his  horrible  experiences. 

**  If  I  were  you  " said  the  mate. 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  the  skipper,  waiting  a  bit.  Then  he  shook 
him  again,  roughly. 

"  What  were  you  going  to  say  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Say  ?  "  said  the  mate,  rubbing  his  eyes.     "  Nothing." 

••  About  the  cat  ?  "  suggested  the  skipper. 

"Cat?"  said  the  mate,  nestling  lovingly  down  in  the 
blankets  again.     "  Wha'  ca' — goo'  ni' " 

Then  the  skipper  drew  the  blankets  from  the  mate's 
sleepy  clutches,  and,  rolling  him  backwards  and  forwards 
in  the  bunk,  patiently  explained  to  him  that  he  was  very 
unwell,  that  he  was  going  to  have  a  drop  of  whiskey  neat, 
and  turn  in,  and  that  he,  the  mate,  was  to  take  the  watch. 
From  this  moment  the  joke  lost  much  of  its  savour  for  the 
mate. 

"You  can  have  a  nip  too,  Dick,"  said  the  skipper, 
proffering  him  the  wliiskey,  as  the  other  sullenly  dressed 
himself. 

"  It 's  all  rot,"  said  the  mate,  tossing  the  spirits  down  hia 
throat,  "and  it's  no  use  either;  you  can't  run  away  from 
a  ghost ;  it 's  just  as  likely  to  be  in  your  bed  as  anywhere 
else.     Good-night." 

He  left  the  skipper  pondering  over  his  last  words,  and 
dubiously  eyeing  the  piece  of  furniture  in  question.  Nor 
did  he  retire  until  he  had  subjected  it  to  an  analysis  of  the 
most  searching  description,  and  then,  leaving  the  lamp 


A  BLACK   AFFAIR  61 

burning,  he  sprang  hastily  in,  and  forgot  his  troubles  in 
sleep. 

It  was  day  when  he  awoke,  and  went  on  deck  to  find 
a  heavy  sea  running,  and  just  sufficient  sail  set  to  keep  the 
schooner's  head  before  the  wind  as  she  bobbed  about  on 
the  waters.  An  exclamation  from  the  skipper,  as  a  wave 
broke  against  the  side  and  flung  a  cloud  of  spray  over  him, 
brought  the  mate's  head  round. 

"  Why,  you  ain't  going  to  get  up  ? "  he  said,  in  tones  of 
insincere  surprise. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  inquired  the  other  gruffly. 

"  You  go  and  lay  down  agin,"  said  the  mate,  "  and  have 
a  cup  o'  nice  hot  tea  an'  some  toast." 

"Clear  out,"  said  the  skipper,  making  a  dash  for  the 
wheel,  and  reaching  it  as  the  wet  deck  suddenly  changed 
its  angle.  "I  know  you  didn't  like  being  woke  up, 
Dick;  but  I  got  the  horrors  last  night.  Go  below  and 
turn  in." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  mollified  mate. 

"  You  didn't  see  anything  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper,  as  he 
look  the  wheel  from  him. 

•*  Nothing  at  all,"  said  the  other. 

The  skipper  shook  his  head  thoughtfully,  then  shook  it 
again  vigorously,  as  another  shower-bath  put  its  head  over 
the  side  and  saluted  him. 

"  I  wish  I  hadn't  drowned  that  cat,  Dick,"  he  said. 

"  You  won't  see  it  again,"  said  Dick,  with  the  confidence 
of  a  man  who  had  taken  every  possible  precaution  to 
render  the  prophecy  a  safe  one. 

He  went  below,  leaving  the  skipper  at  the  wheel  idly 
watching  the  cook  as  he  performed  marvellous  feats  of 
jugglery,  between  the  galley  and  the  fo'c'sle,  with  the  men's 
breakfast 

A  little  while  later,  leaving  the  wheel  to  Sam,  he  went 


6»  MANY   CARGOES 

below  himself  and  had  his  own,  talking  freely,  to  the  dis- 
comfort of  the  conscious-stricken  cook,  about  his  weird 
experiences  of  the  night  before. 

"  You  won't  see  it  no  more,  sir,  I  don't  expect,"  he  said 
faintly  ;  "  I  b'leeve  it  come  and  rubbed  itself  up  agin  your 
leg  to  show  it  forgave  you." 

"  Well,  I  hope  it  knows  it 's  understood,"  said  the  other. 
•'  I  don't  want  it  to  take  any  more  trouble." 

He  finished  the  breakfast  in  silence,  and  then  went  on 
deck  again.  It  was  still  blowing  hard,  and  he  went  over  to 
superintend  the  men  who  were  attempting  to  lash  together 
some  empties  which  were  rolling  about  in  all  directions 
amidships.  A  violent  roll  set  them  free  again,  and  at  the 
same  time  separated  two  chests  in  the  fo'c'sle,  which  were 
standing  one  on  top  of  the  other.  This  enabled  Satan, 
who  was  crouching  in  the  lower  one,  half  crazed  with 
terror,  to  come  flying  madly  up  on  deck  and  give  his 
feelings  full  vent.  Three  times  in  full  view  of  the  horrified 
skipper  he  circled  the  deck  at  racing  speed,  and  had  just 
started  on  the  fourth  when  a  heavy  packing-case,  which  had 
been  temporarily  set  on  end  and  abandoned  by  the  men 
at  ')i-;  sudden  appearance,  fell  over  and  caught  him  by  the 
-  tail.     Sam  rushed  to  the  rescue. 

"  Stop  '  "  yelled  the  skipper. 

•'  Won't  I  put  it  up,  sir  ?  "  inquired  Sam. 

"  Do  you  see  what 's  beneath  it "  ?  said  the  skipper,  in  a 
husky  voice. 

"  Beneath  it,  sir?"  said  Sam,  whose  ideas  were  in  a  whirl 

"  The  cat,  can't  you  see  the  cat  ? "  said  the  skipper, 
whose  eyes  had  been  riveted  on  the  animal  since  its  first 
appearance  on  deck. 

Sam  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  shook  his  head. 

•'The  case  has  fallen  on  the  cat,"  said  the  skipper. 
•*I  can  see  it  distinctly." 


A  BLACK  AFFAIR  63 

He  might  have  said  heard  it,  too,  for  Satan  was  making 
frenzied  appeals  to  his  sympathetic  friends  for  assistance. 

"Let  me  put  the  case  back,  sir,"  said  one  of  the  men, 
•'  then  p'raps  tlie  wision  '11  disappear." 

"  No,  stop  where  you  are,"  said  the  skipper.  "  I  can 
stand  it  better  by  daylight.  It's  the  most  wonderful  and 
extraordinary  thing  I  've  ever  seen.  Do  you  mean  to  say 
you  can't  see  anything,  Sam  ?  " 

"  I  can  see  a  case,  sir,"  said  Sam,  speaking  slowly  and 
carefully,  "  with  a  bit  of  rusty  iron  band  sticking  out  from 
it.  That's  what  you're  mistaking  for  the  cat,  p'raps, 
sir." 

"  Can't  you  see  anything,  cook  ?  "  demanded  the  skipper. 

"It  may  be  fancy,  sir,"  faltered  the  cook,  lowering  his 
eyes,  "but  it  does  seem  to  me  as  though  I  can  see 
a  little  misty  sort  o'  thing  there.     Ah,  now  it's  gone." 

"  No,  it  ain't,"  said  the  skipper.  "  The  ghost  of  Satan 's 
sitting  there.  The  case  seems  to  have  fallen  on  its  tail. 
It  appears  to  be  howling  something  dreadful." 

The  men  made  a  desperate  effort  to  display  the  astonish- 
ment suitable  to  such  a  marvel,  whilst  Satan,  who  was 
trying  all  he  knew  to  get  his  tail  out,  cursed  freely.  How 
long  the  superstitious  captain  of  the  Skylark  would  have  let 
him  remain  there  will  never  be  known,  for  just  then  the 
mate  came  on  deck  and  caught  sight  of  it  before  he  was 
quite  aware  of  the  part  he  was  expected  to  play. 

"Why  the  devil  don't  you  lift  the  thing  off  the  poor 
brute,"  he  yelled,  hurrying  up  towards  the  case. 

"  What,  can  you  see  it,  Dick  ?  "  said  the  skipper  impres- 
sively, laying  his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  See  it  ?  "  retorted  the  mate.     "  D  'ye  think  I  'm  blind 
Listen  to  the  poor  brute.     I  should — Oh  1 " 

He  became  conscious  of  the  concentrated  significant 
gaze  of  the  crew.     Five  pairs  of  eyes  speaking  as  one, 


64  MANY   CARGOES 

all  saying  "idiot"  plainly,  the  boy's  eyes  conveying  sm 
expression  too  great  to  be  translated. 

Turning,  the  skipper  saw  the  bye-play,  and  a  light  slowly 
dawned  upon  him.  But  he  wanted  more,  and  he  wheeled 
suddenly  to  the  cook  for  the  required  illumination. 

The  cook  said  it  was  a  lark.  Then  he  corrected  himself 
and  said  it  wasn't  a  lark,  then  he  corrected  himself  again 
and  became  incoherent.  Meantime  the  skipper  eyed  him 
stonily,  while  the  mate  released  the  cat  and  good-naturedly 
helped  to  straighten  its  tail. 

It  took  fully  five  minutes  of  unwilling  explanation  before 
the  skipper  could  grasp  the  situation.  He  did  not  appear 
to  fairly  understand  it  until  he  was  thown  the  chest  with 
the  ventilated  lid ;  then  his  countenance  cleared,  and, 
taking  the  unhappy  Billy  by  the  collar,  he  called  sternly  for 
a  piece  of  rope. 

By  this  statesmanlike  handling  of  the  subject  a  question 
of  much  delicacy  and  difficulty  was  solved,  discipline  was 
preserved,  and  a  practical  illustration  of  the  perils  of  deceit 
afforded  to  a  youngster  who  was  at  an  age  best  suited  to 
receive  such  impressions.  That  he  should  exhaust  the 
resources  of  a  youthful  but  powerful  vocabulary  upon  the 
crew  in  general,  and  Sam  in  particular,  was  only  to  be 
expected.  They  bore  him  no  malice  for  it,  but,  when 
he  showed  signs  of  going  beyond  his  years,  held  a  hasty 
consultation,  and  then  stopped  his  mouth  with  sixpenco- 
balfpenny  and  a  broken  jack-knife. 


THE  SKIPPER  OF  THE  "OSPREY 


M 


IT  was  a  quarter  to  six  in  the  morning  as  the  mate  of  the 
sailing-barge  Osprey  came  on  deck  and  looked  round 
for  the  master,  who  had  been  sleeping  ashore  and  was 
somewhat  overdue.  Ten  minutes  passed  before  he  appeared 
on  the  wharf,  and  the  mate  saw  with  surprise  that  he  was 
leaning  on  the  arm  of  a  pretty  girl  of  twenty,  as  he  hobbled 
painfully  down  to  the  barge. 

"Here  you  are  then,"  said  the  mate,  his  face  clearing. 
"  I  began  to  think  you  weren't  coming." 

"  I  'm  not,"  said  the  skipper ;  "  I  've  got  the  gout  crool 
bad.  My  darter  here 's  going  to  take  my  place,  an'  I  'm 
going  to  take  it  easy  in  bed  for  a  bit." 

"  I  '11  go  an'  make  it  for  you,"  said  the  mate. 

"I  mean  my  bed  at  home,"  said  the  skipper  sharply. 
"  I  want  good  nursing  an'  attention." 

The  mate  looked  puzzled. 

*'But  you  don't  really  mean  to  say  this  young  lady  is 
coming  aboard  instead  of  you  ?  "  he  said. 

"  That 's  just  what  I  do  mean,"  said  the  skipper.  "  She 
knows  as  much  about  it  as  I  do.  She  lived  aboard  with  mo 
until  she  was  quite  a  big  girL  You  '11  take  your  orders  from 
her.  What  are  you  whistling  about  ?  Can't  I  do  as  I  like 
about  my  own  ship  ?  " 

"  O'  course  you  can,"  said  the  mate  drily ;  "  an'  I  s'pose 
I  can  whistle  if  I  like — I  never  beaxd  no  orders  against 
it" 

t  65 


66  MANY   CARGOES 

•*  Gimme  a  kiss,  Meg,  an'  git  aboard,"  said  the  skipper, 
leaning  on  his  stick  and  turning  his  cheek  to  his  daughter, 
who  obediently  gave  him  a  perfunctory  kiss  on  the  left 
eyebrow,  and  sprang  lightly  aboard  the  barge. 

"Cast  off,"  said  she,  in  a  business-like  manner,  as  she 
seized  a  boat-hook  and  pushed  off  from  the  jetty.  "  Ta  ta, 
Dad,  and  go  straight  home,  mind ;  the  cab 's  waiting." 

"Ay,  ay,  my  dear,"  said  the  proud  father,  his  eye 
moistening  with  paternal  pride  as  his  daughter,  throwing 
off  her  jacket,  ran  and  assisted  the  mate  with  the  sail 
"  Lord,  what  a  fine  boy  she  would  have  made ! " 

He  watched  the  barge  until  she  was  well  under  way,  and 
then,  waving  his  hand  to  his  daughter,  crawled  slowly  back 
to  the  cab  ;  and,  being  to  a  certain  extent  a  believer  in 
homoeopathy,  treated  his  complaint  with  a  glass  of  rum. 

"I'm  sorry  your  father's  so  bad,  miss,"  said  the  mate, 
who  was  still  somewhat  dazed  by  the  recent  proceedings,  as 
the  girl  came  up  and  took  the  wheel  from  him.  "  He  was 
complaining  a  goodish  bit  all  the  way  up." 

"  A  wilful  man  must  have  his  way,"  said  Miss  Cringle, 
with  a  shake  of  her  head.  "It's  no  good  me  saying 
anything,  because  directly  my  back 's  turned  he  has  his  own 
way  again." 

The  mate  shook  his  head  despondently. 
"You'd  better  get   your   bedding  up  and   make   your 
arrangements   forward,"   said    the   new   skipper   presently. 
There  was  a  look  of  indulgent  admiration  in  the  mate's  eye, 
and  she  thought  it  necessary  to  check  it. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  other,  "  plenty  of  time  for  that ;  the 
river's  a  little  bit  thick  just  now." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  inquired  the  girl  hastily. 
"  Some  o'  these  things  are  not  so  careful  as  they  might 
be,"  said  the  mate,  noting  the  ominous  sparkle  of  her  eye, 
"  an'  they  might  scrape  the  paint  off." 


THE   SKIPPER   OF  THE   "OSPREY"         67 

"  Look  here,  my  lad,"  said  the  new  skipper  grimly, 
"if  you  think  you  can  steer  better  than  me,  you'd  better 
keep  it  to  yourself,  that 's  all.  Now  suppose  you  see  about 
your  bedding,  as  I  said." 

The  mate  went,  albeit  he  was  rather  surprised  at  himself 
for  doing  so,  and  hid  his  annoyance  and  confusion  beneath 
the  mattress  which  he  brought  up  on  his  head.  His  job 
completed,  he  came  aft  again,  and,  sitting  on  the  hatches, 
lit  his  pipe. 

"  This  is  just  the  weather  for  a  pleasant  cruise,"  he  said 
amiably,  after  a  few  whiffs.  "  You  've  chose  a  nice  time 
for  it." 

"I  don't  mind  the  weather,"  said  the  girl,  who  fancied 
that  there  was  a  little  latent  sarcasm  somewhere.  "  I  think 
you  'd  better  wash  the  decks  now." 

"  Washed  'em  last  night,"  said  the  mate,  without  moving. 

"  Ah,  after  dark,  perhaps,"  said  the  girL  "  Well,  I  think 
I  '11  have  them  done  again." 

The  mate  sat  pondering  rebelliously  for  a  few  minutes, 
then  he  removed  his  jacket,  put  on  in  honour  of  the  new 
skipper,  and,  fetching  the  bucket  and  mop,  silently  obeyed 
orders. 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  fond  of  sitting  down,"  remarked 
the  girl,  after  he  had  finished ;  "  can't  you  find  something 
else  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  the  mate  slowly ;  "  I  thought  you 
were  looking  after  that" 

The  girl  bit  her  lip,  and  was  looking  carefully  round  her, 
when  they  were  both  disturbed  by  the  unseemly  behaviour 
of  the  master  of  a  passing  craft. 

"Jack I"  he  yelled  in  a  tone  of  strong  amazement, 
*Jackl" 

"  Halloa  I "  cried  the  mate. 

**  Why  didn't  you  tell  us  ?  "  yelled  the  other  reproachfully. 


68  MANY  CARGOES 

•'  Ten  you  what  ?  "  roared  the  mystified  mate. 

The  master  of  the  other  craft,  holding  on  to  iht  stay* 
with  one  hand,  jerked  his  thumb  expressively  towards  Miss 
Cringle,  and  waited. 

"  When  was  it  ? "  he  screamed  anxiously,  as  he  realised 
that  his  craft  was  rapidly  carrying  him  oat  of  earshot. 

The  mate  smiled  feebly,  and  glanced  uneasily  at  the  girl, 
who,  with  a  fine  colour  and  an  ail  or  vast  unconcern,  was 
looking  straight  in  front  of  her ;  «tnd  it  was  a  relief  to  both 
of  them  when  they  found  themselves  hesitating  and  dodging 
in  front  of  a  schooner  which  was  coming  up. 

*'  Do  you  want  all  the  river  t "  demanded  the  exasperated 
master  of  the  latter  vessel,  running  to  the  side  as  they 
passed.    "Why  don't  you  drop  anchor  if  you  want  to  spoon  ?'* 

"  Perhaps  you  'd  betcer  let  me  take  the  wheel  a  bit,"  said 
the  mate,  not  without  a  little  malice  in  his  voica 

"  No ;  you  can  go  an'  keep  a  look-out  in  the  bows,"  said 
the  girl  serenely.  "  It  '11  prevent  misunderstandings,  too. 
Better  take  the  potatoes  with  you  and  peel  them  for  dinner." 

The  mate  complied,  and  the  voyage  proceeded  in  silence, 

the  steering  being  rendered  a  Httle  nicer  than  usual  by 

various  nautical  sparks  bringing  their  boats  a  bit  closer 

han  was  necessary  in  order  to  obtain  a  good  view  of  the 

tair  steersman. 

After  dinner,  the  tide  having  turned  and  a  stiff  head- 
wind blowing,  they  brought  up  off  Sheppey.  It  began  to 
rain  hard,  and  the  crew  of  the  Osprey,  having  made  all 
snug  above,  retired  to  the  cabin  to  resume  their  quarrel. 

"  Don't  mind  me,"  said  Miss  Cringle  scathingly,  as  the 
mate  lit  his  pipe. 

"Well,  I  didn't  think  you  minded,"  replied  the  mate; 
"  the  old  man  " 

"  Who  ? "  interrupted  Miss  Cringle,  in  a  tone  of  polite 
inquiry. 


THE   SKIPPER  OF  THE  "OSPREY"         69 

"Captain  Cringle,"  said  the  mate,  correcting  himself, 
•'smokes  a  great  deal,  and  I've  heard  him  say  that  you 
liked  the  smell  of  it." 

"  There 's  pipes  and  pipes,"  said  Miss  Cringle  oracularly. 

The  mate  flung  his  on  the  floor  and  crunched  it  beneath 
his  heel,  then  he  thrust  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and, 
leaning  back,  scowled  darkly  up  at  the  rain  as  it  crackled 
on  the  skylight. 

"If  you  are  going  to  show  oflF  your  nasty  temper,"  said 
the  girl  severely,  "you'd  better  go  forward.  It's  not 
quite  the  thing  after  all  for  you  to  be  down  here — not  that 
I  study  appearances  much." 

"I  shouldn't  think  you  did,"  retorted  the  mate,  whose 
temper  was  rapidly  getting  the  better  of  him.  "I  can't 
think  what  your  father  was  thinking  of  to  let  a  pret —  to 
let  a  girl  like  you  come  away  like  this." 

"  If  you  were  going  to  say  pretty  girl,"  said  Miss  Cringle, 
with  calm  self-abnegation,  "don't  mind  me,  say  it.  The 
captain  knows  what  he's  about.  He  told  me  you  were 
a  milksop;  he  said  you  were  a  good  young  man  and  a 
teetotaller." 

The  mate,  allowing  the  truth  of  the  captain's  statement 
as  to  his  abstinence,  hotly  denied  the  charge  of  goodness. 
"  I  can  understand  your  father's  hurry  to  get  rid  of  you  for 
a  spell,"  he  concluded,  being  goaded  beyond  all  considera- 
tion of  politeness.  "  His  gout  'ud  never  get  well  while  you 
were  with  him.  More  than  that,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you 
were  the  cause  of  it." 

With  this  parting  shot  he  departed,  before  the  girl 
could  think  of  a  suitable  reply,  and  went  and  sulked  in  the 
dingy  little  fo'c'sle. 

In  the  evening,  the  weather  having  moderated  somewhat, 
and  the  tide  being  on  the  ebb,  they  got  under  way  again, 
the  girl  coming  on  deck  fully  attired  in  an  oilskin  coat  and 


7©  MANY   CARGOES 

Bou'-wester  to  resume  the  command.  The  rain  fell  steadily 
as  they  ploughed  along  their  way,  guided  by  the  bright  eye 
of  the  "  Mouse "  as  it  shone  across  the  darkening  waters. 
The  mate,  soaked  to  the  skin,  was  at  the  wheel. 

"Why  don't  you  go  below  and  put  your  oilskins  on?" 
inquired  the  girl,  when  this  fact  dawned  upon  her. 

"  Don't  want  'em,"  said  the  mate. 

"  I  suppose  you  know  best,"  said  the  girl,  and  said  no 
more  until  nine  o'clock,  when  she  paused  at  the  companioa 
to  give  her  last  orders  for  the  night. 

"I'm  going  to  turn  in,"  said  she;  "call  me  at  two 
o'clock.     Good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  said  the  other,  and  the  girl  vanished. 

Left  to  himself,  the  mate,  who  began  to  feel  chilly,  felt  in 
his  pockets  for  a  pipe,  and  was  m  all  the  stress  of  getting 
a  light,  when  he  heard  a  thin,  almost  mild  voice  behind 
him,  and,  looking  round,  saw  the  face  of  the  girl  at  the 
companion. 

"  I  say,  are  these  your  oilskins  I  've  been  wearing  ?  "  she 
demanded  awkwardly. 

"  You  're  quite  welcome,"  said  the  mate. 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  ? "  said  the  girl  indignantly. 
"  I  wouldn't  have  worn  them  for  anything  if  I  had  known 
it." 

"  Well,  they  won't  poison  you,"  said  the  mate  resentfully. 
•'  Your  father  left  his  at  Ipswich  to  have  'em  cobbled  up  a 
bit." 

The  girl  passed  them  up  on  the  deck,  and,  closing  the 
companion  with  a  bang,  disappeared.  It  is  possible  that 
the  fatigues  of  the  day  had  been  too  much  for  her,  for 
when  she  awoke,  and  consulted  the  little  silver  watch  that 
hung  by  her  bunk,  it  was  past  five  o'clock,  and  the  red 
glow  of  the  sun  was  flooding  the  cabin  as  she  arose  and 
hastily  dressed. 


THE   SKIPPER  OF  THE   "OSFREY"         71 

The  deck  was  drying  in  white  patches  as  she  went  above, 
and  the  mate  was  sitting  yawning  at  the  wheel,  his  eyelids 
red  for  want  of  sleep. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  to  call  me  at  two  o'clock?"  she 
demanded,  confronting  him. 

"  It 's  all  right,"  said  the  mate.  "  I  thought  when  you 
woke  would  be  soon  enough.     You  looked  tired." 

•'  I  think  you  'd  better  go  when  we  get  to  Ipswich,"  said 
the  girl,  tightening  her  Ups.  "  I  '11  ship  somebody  who  '11 
obey  orders." 

"  I  '11  go  when  we  get  back  to  London,"  said  the  mate. 
•♦  I  '11  hand  this  barge  over  to  the  cap'n,  and  nobody  else." 

"Well,  we'll  see,"  said  the  girl,  as  she  took  the  wheel 
"  /  think  you  '11  go  at  Ipswich." 

For  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  the  subject  was  not 
alluded  to ;  the  mate,  in  a  spirit  of  sulky  pride,  kept  to  the 
fore  part  of  the  boat,  except  when  he  was  steering,  and,  as 
far  as  practicable,  the  girl  ignored  his  presence.  In  this 
spirit  of  mutual  forbearance  they  entered  the  Orwell,  and 
ran  swiftly  up  to  Ipswich. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  they  arrived  there,  and 
the  new  skipper,  waiting  only  until  they  were  made  fast, 
went  ashore,  leaving  the  mate  in  charge.  She  had  been 
gone  about  an  hour  when  a  small  telegraph  boy  appeared, 
and,  after  boarding  the  barge  in  the  unsafest  manner 
possible,  handed  him  a  telegram.  The  mate  read  it  and 
his  face  flushed.  With  even  more  than  the  curtness 
customary  in  language  at  a  halfpenny  a  word,  it  contained 
his  dismissal. 

"  I  've  had  a  telegram  from  your  father  sacking  me,"  he 
said  to  the  girl,  as  she  returned  soon  after,  laden  with 
small  parcels. 

"  Yes,  I  wired  him  to,"  she  replied  calmly.  "  I  suppose 
you  11  go  nov)  f  " 


f%  MANY  CARGOES 

"  I  'd  rather  go  back  to  London  with  you,"  he  said 
slowly. 

""I  daresay,"  said  the  girl.  "As  a  matter  of  fact  I 
wasn't  really  meaning  for  you  to  go,  but  when  you  said  you 
wouldn't  I  thought  we'd  see  who  was  master.  I've  shipped 
another  mate,  so  you  see  I  haven't  lost  much  time." 

"  Who  is  he,"  inquired  the  mate. 

"Man  named  Charlie  Lee,"  replied  the  girl;  "the 
foreman  here  told  me  of  him." 

"  He  'd  no  business  too,"  said  the  mate,  frowning ;  "  he 's 
a  loose  fish ;  take  my  advice  now  and  ship  somebody  else. 
He 's  not  at  all  the  sort  of  chap  I  'd  choose  for  you  to  sail 
with." 

"  You  'd  choose,"  said  the  girl  scornfully ;  "  dear  me, 
what  a  pity  you  didn't  tell  me  before." 

"  He 's  a  public-house  loafer,"  said  the  mate,  meeting  her 
eye  angrily,  "  and  about  as  bad  as  they  make  'em ;  but  I 
s'pose  you  '11  have  your  own  way." 

"He  won't  frighten  me,"  said  the  g!rl.  "I'm  quite 
capable  of  taking  care  of  myself,  thank  you.  Good 
evening." 

The  mate  stepped  ashore  with  a  small  bundle,  leaving 
the  remainder  of  his  possessions  to  go  back  to  London 
with  the  barge.  The  girl  watched  his  well-knit  figure  as  it 
strode  up  the  quay  until  it  was  out  of  sight,  and  then, 
inwardly  piqued  because  he  had  not  turned  round  for  a 
parting  glance,  gave  a  little  sigh,  and  went  below  to  tea. 

The  docile  and  respectful  behaviour  of  the  new-comer 
was  a  pleasant  change  to  the  autocrat  of  the  Osprey,  and 
cargoes  were  worked  out  and  in  without  an  unpleasant 
word.  They  laid  at  the  quay  for  two  days,  the  new  mate, 
whose  home  was  at  Ipswich,  sleeping  ashore,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  third  he  turned  up  punctually  at  six  o'clock, 
and  they  started  on  their  return  voyage. 


THE   SKIPPER   OF  THE   "OSPREV*         73 

"Well,  you  do  know  how  to  handle  a  craft,"  said  Lee 
admiringly,  as  they  passed  down  the  river.  "  The  old  boat 
seems  to  know  it 's  got  a  pretty  young  lady  in  charge." 

"  Don't  talk  rubbish,"  said  the  girl  austerely. 

The  new  mate  carefully  adjusted  his  red  necktie  and 
amiled  indulgently. 

"Well,  you're  the  prettiest  cap'n  I've  ever  sailed  under," 
he  said.  *•  What  do  they  call  that  red  cap  you  've  got  on  ? 
Tam-o'-Shanter  is  it?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  girl  shortly. 

"You  mean  you  won't  tell  me,"  said  the  other,  with  a 
look  of  anger  in  his  soft  dark  eyes. 

"Just  as  you  like,"  said  she,  and  Lee,  whistling  softly, 
turned  on  his  heel  and  began  to  busy  himself  with  some 
small  matter  forward. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  quietly,  though  there  was 
a  freedom  in  the  new  mate's  manner  which  made  the 
redoubtable  skipper  of  the  Osprey  regret  her  change  of 
crew,  and  to  treat  him  with  more  civility  than  her  proud 
spirit  quite  approved  of.  There  was  but  little  wind,  and 
the  barge  merely  crawled  along  as  the  captain  and  mate, 
with  surreptitious  glances,  took  each  other's  measure. 

"This  is  the  nicest  trip  I've  ever  had,"  said  Lee,  as 
he  came  up  from  an  unduly  prolonged  tea,  with  a  strong- 
smelling  cigar  in  his  mouth.  "  I  've  brought  your  jacket 
up." 

"  I  don't  want  it,  thank  you,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Better  have  it,"  said  Lee,  holding  it  up  for  her. 

"  When  I  want  my  jacket  I  '11  put  it  on  myself,"  said  the 
girl. 

"  All  right,  no  offence,"  said  the  other  airily.  "  What  an 
obstinate  little  devil  you  are." 

"Have  you  got  any  drink  down  there?"  inquired  the 
girl,  eyeing  him  sternly. 


74  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Just  a  little  drop  o'  whiskey,  my  dear,  for  the  spasms," 
said  Lee  facetiously.     "  Will  you  have  a  drop  ?  " 

'*  I  won't  have  any  drinking  here,"  said  she  sharply. 
"If  you  want  to  drink,  wait  till  you  get  ashore." 

"  Vou  won't  have  any  drinking ! "  said  the  other,  opening 
his  eyes,  and  with  a  quiet  chuckle  he  dived  below  and 
brought  up  a  bottle  and  a  glass.  "  Here 's  wishing  a  better 
temper  to  you,  my  dear,"  he  said  amiably,  as  he  tossed  off 
a  glass.  "Come,  you'd  better  have  a  drop.  It'll  put  a 
little  colour  in  your  cheeks." 

"Put  it  away  now,  there's  a  good  fellow,"  said- the 
captain  timidly,  as  she  looked  anxiously  at  the  nearest  sail, 
some  two  miles  distant. 

"  It 's  the  only  friend  I  Ve  got,"  said  Lee,  sprawling 
gracefully  on  the  hatches,  and  replenishing  his  glass. 
"Look  here.     Are  you  on  for  a  bargain?" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  inquired  the  girl. 

"  Give  me  a  kiss,  little  spitfire,  and  I  won't  take  another 
drop  to-night,"  said  the  new  mate  tenderly.  "Come,  I 
won't  tell." 

"  You  may  drink  yourself  to  death  before  I  '11  do  that," 
said  the  girl,  striving  to  speak  calmly.  "Don't  talk  that 
nonsense  to  me  again." 

She  stooped  over  as  she  spoke  and  made  a  sudden 
grab  at  the  bottle,  but  the  new  mate  was  too  quick  for 
her,  and,  snatching  it  up  jeeringly,  dared  her  to  come 
for  it. 

"  Come  on,  come  and  fight  for  it,"  said  he ;  "  hit  me  H 
you  like,  I  don't  mind ;  youi  little  fist  won't  hurt." 

No  answer  being  vouchsafed  to  this  invitation  he  applied 
himself  to  his  only  friend  again,  while  the  girl,  now 
thoroughly  frightened,  steered  in  silence. 

^'  Better  get  the  sidelights  out,"  said  she  at  length. 

"Plenty  o'  time,"  said  Lee. 


THE   SKIPPER   OF  THE   "OSPREY"         75 

"Take  the  helm^  then,  while  I  do  it,"  said  the  girl, 
biting  her  hps. 

The  fellow  rose  and  came  towards  her,  and,  as  she 
made  way  for  him,  threw  his  arm  round  her  waist  and 
tried  to  detain  her.  Her  heart  beating  quickly,  she  walked 
forivard,  and,  not  without  a  hesitating  glance  at  the 
drunken  figure  at  the  wheel,  descended  into  the  fo'c'sle 
for  the  lamps. 

The  next  moment,  with  a  gasping  little  cry,  she  sank 
down  on  a  locker  as  the  dark  figure  of  a  man  rose  and 
stood  by  her. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,"  it  said  quietly. 
"  Jack  ?  "  said  the  girl. 

"That's  me,"  said  the  figure.  "You  didn't  expect  to 
see  me,  did  you  ?  I  thought  perhaps  you  didn't  know 
what  was  good  for  you,  so  I  stowed  myself  away  last  night, 
and  here  I  am." 

"Have  you  heard  what  that  fellow  has  been  saying  to 
me?"  demanded  Miss  Cringle,  with  a  spice  of  the  old 
temper  leavening  her  voice  once  more. 
"  Every  word,"  said  the  mate  cheerfully. 
"  VVhy  didn't  you  come  up  and  stand  by  me  ? "  inquired 
the  girl  hotly. 

The  mate  hung  his  head. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  girl,  and  her  tones  were  those  of  acute 
disappointment,  "  you  're  afraid." 
"  I  'm  not,"  said  the  mate  scornfully. 
"Why  didn't  you  come  up,  then,  instead  of  skulking 
down  here?"  inquired  the  girl. 

*  The  mate  scratched  the  back  of  his  neck  and  smiled, 

but  weakly.   "Well,   I — I  thought" he  began,  and 

stopped. 

"  You  thought " prompted  Miss  Cringle  coldly. 

"  I  thc\ught  a  little  fright  would  do  you  good,"  said  the 


y6  MANY  CARGOES 

mate,   speaking  quickly,   "and  that  it  would  make  you 
appreciate  me  a  little  more  when  I  did  come." 

-"Ahoy!  Maggie/  Maggie/"  came  the  voice  of  the 
graceless  varlet  who  was  steering. 

"  I  '11  Maggie  him,"  said  the  mate,  grinding  his  teeth. 
"  Why,  what  the — why  you  're  crying." 

"I'm  not,"  sobbed  Miss  Cringle  scornfully.  "I'm  in 
a  temper,  that 's  all." 

"  I  '11  knock  his  head  oflF,"  said  the  mate ;  "  you  stay 
down  here." 

"  Mag-gie /"  came  the  voice  again,  "Mag — Hullo  1" 

"Were  you  calling  me,  my  lad?"  said  the  mate,  with 
dangerous  politeness,  as  he  stepped  aft.  "  Ain't  you  afraid  of 
straining  that  sweet  voice  o'  yours  ?     Leave  go  o'  that  tiller." 

The  other  let  go,  and  the  mate's  fist  took  him  heavily  in 
the  face  and  sent  him  sprawling  on  the  deck.  He  rose 
with  a  scream  of  rage  and  rushed  at  his  opponent,  but  the 
mate's  temper,  which  had  suffered  badly  through  his  treat- 
ment of  the  last  few  days,  was  up,  and  he  sent  him  heavily 
down  again. 

"There's  a  little  dark  dingy  hole  forward,"  said  the 
mate,  after  waiting  some  time  for  him  to  rise  again,  "just 
the  place  for  you  to  go  and  think  over  your  sins  in.  If  I 
see  you  come  out  of  it  until  we  get  to  London,  I  '11  hurt 
you.     Now  clear." 

The  other  cleared,  and,  carefully  avoiding  the  girl,  who 
was  standing  close  by,  disappeared  below. 

"  You  've  hurt  him,"  said  the  girl,  coming  up  to  the  mate 
and  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm.  "  What  a  horrid  temper 
fou  've  got." 

"  It  was  him  asking  you  to  kiss  him  that  upset  me,"  said 
the  mate  apologetically. 

"  He  put  his  arm  round  my  waist,"  said  Miss  Cringle, 
bhuhing. 


THE  SKIPPER  OF  THE   "OSPREY"         77 

"  Whatr^  said  the  mate,  stuttering,  "put  his — put  his 
arm — round — your  waist — like  " 

His  courage  suddenly  forsook  him. 

'•  Like  what  ?  "  inquired  the  girl,  with  superb  innocence. 

"  Like  that^^  said  the  mate  manfully. 

"That's  do,"  said  Miss  Cringle  softly,  "IhatTl  da 
You're  as  bad  as  he  is,  only  the  worst  of  it  is  there  is 
nobody  here  to  prevent  you." 


IN  BORROWED  PLUMES 


THE  master  of  the  Sarah  Jane  had  been  missing  for 
two  days,  and  all  on  board,  with  the  exception  of  the 
boy,  whom  nobody  troubled  about,  were  full  of  joy  at  the 
circumstance.  Twice  before  had  the  skipper,  whose  habits 
might,  perhaps,  be  best  described  as  irregular,  missed  his 
ship,  and  word  had  gone  forth  that  the  third  time  would 
be  the  last.  His  berth  was  a  good  one,  and  the  mate 
wanted  it  in  place  of  his  own,  which  was  wanted  by  Ted 
Jones,  A.B. 

"  Two  hours  more,"  said  the  mate  anxiously  to  the  men, 
as  they  stood  leaning  against  the  side,  "  and  I  take  the  ship 
cut." 

"  Under  two  hours  'U  do  it,"  spid  Ted,  peering  over  the 
side  and  watching  the  water  as  it  slowly  rose  over  the  mud. 
"  What 's  got  the  old  man,  I  wonder  ?  " 

"I  don't  knovv,  and  I  don't  care,"  said  the  mate.  "  You 
chaps  stand  by  me  and  it  '11  be  good  for  all  of  us.  Mr. 
Pearson  said  distinct  the  last  time  that  if  the  skipper  ever 
missed  his  bhip  again  it  would  be  his  last  trip  in  her,  and 
he  told  Hie  afore  the  old  man  that  I  wasn't  to  wait  two 
minutes  at  any  time,  but  to  bring  her  out  right  away." 

"  He 's  an  old  fool,"  said  Bill  Loch,  the  other  hand ; 
"  and  nobody  '11  miss  him  but  the  boy,  and  he 's  been 
looking  reg'lar  worried  all  the  morning.  He  looked  so 
worried  at  dinner  time  that  I  give  'im  a  kick  to  cheer  him 
up  a  bit.     Look  at  him  now." 

78 


IN  BORROWED    PLUMES  79 

The  mate  gave  a  supercilious  glance  in  the  direction  of 
the  boy,  and  then  turned  away.  The  boy,  who  had  no  idea 
of  courting  observation,  stowed  himself  away  behind  the 
windlass ;  and,  taking  a  letter  from  his  pocket,  perused  it 
for  the  fourth  time, 

"  Dear  Tommy,"  it  began.  "  I  take  my  pen  in  and  to 
Inform  you  that  I  me  stayin  here  and  cant  get  away  for  the 
reason  that  I  lorst  my  does  at  cribage  larst  night,  also  my 
money,  and  everything  beside.  Dont  speek  to  a  living  sole 
about  it  as  the  mate  wants  my  birth,  but  pack  up  sum 
does  and  bring  them  to  me  without  saying  nuthing  to 
noboddy.  The  mates  cloths  will  do  becos  I  havent  got 
enny  other  soot,  dont  tell  'im.  You  needen't  trouble  about 
soks  as  I  've  got  them  left.  My  hed  is  so  bad  I  must  now 
conclude.  Your  affecshunate  uncle  and  captin  Joe  Bross. 
P.S.  Dont  let  the  mate  see  you  come,  or  else  he  wont  let 
you  go." 

"  Two  hours  more,"  sighed  Tommy,  as  he  put  the  letter 
back  in  his  pocket.  "  How  can  I  get  any  clothes  when 
they  're  all  locked  up  ?  And  aunt  said  I  was  to  look  after 
'im  and  see  he  didn't  get  into  no  mischief," 

He  sat  thinking  deeply,  and  then,  as  the  crew  of  the 
Sarah  Jane  stepped  ashore  to  take  advantage  of  a  glass 
offered  by  the  mate,  he  crept  down  to  the  cabin  again  for 
another  desperate  look  round.  The  only  articles  of 
clothing  visible  belonged  to  Mrs.  Bross,  who  up  to  this 
trip  had  been  sailing  in  the  schooner  to  look  after  its 
master.     At  these  he  gazed  hard. 

"I'll  take  'em  and  try  an'  swop  'em  for  some  men's 
clothes,"  said  he  suddenly,  snatching  the  garments  from  the 
pegs.  "She  wouldn't  mind";  and  hastily  rolling  them  into 
a  parcel,  together  with  a  pair  of  carpet  slippers  of  the 
captain's,  he  thrust  the  lot  into  an  old  biscuit  bag.  Then 
h    shouldered  his  burden,  and,  going  cautiously  on  deck, 


8o  MANY  CARGOES 

gained  the  shore,  and  set  oS  at  a  trot  to  the  address 
furnished  in  the  letter. 

It  was  a  long  way,  and  the  bag  was  heavy.  His  first 
attempt  at  barter  was  alarming,  for  the  pawnbroker,  who 
had  just  been  cautioned  by  the  police,  was  in  such  a  severe 
and  uncomfortable  state  of  morals,  that  the  boy  quickly 
snatched  up  his  bundle  again  and  left  Sorely  troubled  he 
walked  hastily  along,  until,  in  a  small  bye  street,  his  glance 
fell  upon  a  baker  of  mild  and  benevolent  aspect,  standing 
behind  the  counter  of  his  shop. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  said  Tommy,  entering,  and  deposit- 
ing his  bag  on  the  counter,  "have  you  got  any  cast-oflf 
clothes  you  don't  want  ?  " 

The  baker  turned  to  a  shelf,  and  selecting  a  stale  loaf 
cut  it  in  halves,  one  of  which  he  placed  before  the  boy. 

"  I  don't  want  bread,"  said  Tommy  desperately ;  "  but 
mother  has  just  died,  and  father  wants  mourning  for  the 
funeral.  He 's  only  got  a  new  suit  with  him,  and  if  he  can 
change  these  things  of  mother's  for  an  old  suit,  he  'd  sell 
his  best  ones  to  bury  her  with." 

He  shook  the  articles  out  on  the  counter,  and  the  baker's 
wife,  who  had  just  come  into  the  shop,  inspected  them 
rather  favourably. 

"Poor  boy,  so  you've  lost  your  mother,"  she  said, 
turning  the  clothes  over.     "  It 's  a  good  skirt,  Bill" 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  said  Tommy  dolefully. 

"What  did  she  die  of?"  inquired  the  baker. 

"  Scarlet  fever,"  said  Tommy,  tearfully,  mentioning  the 
only  disease  he  knew. 

"  Scar Take  them  things  away,"  yelled  the  baker, 

pushing  the  clothes  on  to  the  floor,  and  following  his  wife 
to  the  other  end  of  the  shop.  "  Take  'em  away  directly, 
you  young  villain." 

His  voice  was  so  loud,  his  manner  so  imperative,  that 


IN   BORROWED   PLUMES  8i 

tiie  startled  boy,  without  stopping  to  argue,  stuffed  the 
clothes  pell-mell  into  the  bag  again  and  departed.  A  fare- 
well glance  at  the  clock  made  him  look  almost  as  horrified 
as  the  baker. 

"  There 's  no  time  to  be  lost,"  he  muttered,  as  he  began 
to  run;  "either  the  old  man '11  have  to  come  in  these  or 
else  stay  where  he  is." 

He  reached  the  house  breathless,  and  paused  before  an 
unshaven  man  in  time-worn  greasy  clothes,  who  was 
smoking  a  short  clay  pipe  with  much  enjoyment  in  front  of 
the  door. 

••  Is  Cap'n  Bross  here  ?  "  he  panted. 

"He's  upstairs,"  said  the  man,  with  a  leer,  "sitting  in 
sackcloth  and  ashes,  more  ashes  than  sackcloth.  Have 
you  got  some  clothes  for  him  ?  " 

"  Look  here,"  said  Tommy.  He  was  down  on  his  knees 
with  the  mouth  of  the  bag  open  again,  quite  in  the  style 
of  the  practised  hawker.  "  Give  me  an  old  suit  of  clothes 
for  them.     Hurry  up.     There 's  a  lovely  frock." 

"  Blimey,"  said  the  man,  staring.  "  I  've  only  got  these 
clothes.     Wot  d'yer  take  me  for  ?    A  dook  ?  " 

"  Well,  get  me  some  somewhere,"  said  Tommy.  "  If 
you  don't  the  cap'n  '11  have  to  come  in  these,  and  I  'm  sure 
he  won't  like  it." 

"  I  wonder  what  he  'd  look  like,"  said  the  man,  with  A 
grin.     "  Damme  if  I  don't  come  up  and  see." 

"  Get  me  some  clothes,"  pleaded  Tommy. 

"  I  wouldn't  get  you  clothes,  no,  not  for  fifty  pun,"  said 
the  man  severely.  "  Wot  d'yer  mean  wanting  to  spoil 
people's  pleasure  in  that  way  ?  Come  on,  come  and  tell 
the  cap'n  what  you  've  got  for  'im,  I  want  to  'ear  what  he 
ses.  He's  been  swearing  'ard  since  ten  o'clock  this 
morning,  but  he  ought  to  say  something  special  ovet 
this.* 

o 


8i  MANY  CARGOES 

He  led  the  way  up  the  bare  wooden  stairs,  followed  by 
the  harassed  boy,  and  entered  a  small  dirty  room  at  the 
top,  in  the  centre  of  which  the  master  of  the  Sarah  Jane 
sat  to  deny  visitors,  in  a  pair  of  socks  and  last  week's 
paper. 

"  Here 's  a  young  gent  come  to  bring  you  some  clothes, 
cap'n,"  said  the  man,  taking  the  sack  from  the  boy. 

"Why  didn't  you  come  before?"  growled  the  captain, 
who  was  reading  the  advertisements. 

The  man  put  his  hand  in  the  sack,  and  pulled  out 
the  clothes.  "What  do  you  think  of  'em?"  he  asked 
expectantly. 

The  captain  strove  vainly  to  tell  him,  but  his  tongue 
mercifully  forsook  its  office,  and  dried  between  his  lips. 
His  brain  rang  with  sentences  of  scorching  iniquity,  but 
they  got  no  further. 

"Well,  say  thank  you,  if  you  can't  say  nothing  else," 
suggested  his  tormentor  hopefully. 

"  I  couldn't  bring  nothing  else,"  said  Tommy  hurriedly ; 
"all  the  things  was  locked  up.     I  tried  to  swop  'em  and 
nearly  got  locked  up  for  it.     Put  these  on  and  hurry  up." 
The  captain  moistened  his  lips  with  his  tongue. 
"  The   mate  '11   get  off   directly   she    floats,"  continued 
Tommy.     "Put  these  on  and  spoil  his  little  game.     It's 
raining  a  little  now.     Nobody  '11  see  you,  and  as  soon  as 
you  git  aboard  you  can  borrow  some  of  the  men's  clothes." 
"  That 's    the    ticket,    cap'n,"    said    the    man.     "  Lord 
lumme,  you  '11  'ave  everybody  falling  in  love  with  you." 

"  Hurry  up,"  said  Tommy,  dancing  with  impatience. 
"  Hurry  up." 

The  skipper,  dazed  and  wild-eyed,  stood  still  while  his 
two  assistants  hastily  dressed  him,  bickering  somewhat 
about  details  as  they  did  so. 

"  He  ought  to  be  tight-laced,  I  tell  you,"  said  the  man. 


IN   BORROWED   PLUMES  S^ 

"He  can't  be  tight-laced  without  stays,"  said  Tommy 
scornfully.     "You  ought  to  know  that." 

"  Ho,  can't  he,"  said  the  other,  discomfited.  "  You 
know  too  much  for  a  young-un.  Well,  put  a  bit  o'  line 
round  'im  then." 

"  We  can't  wait  for  a  line,"  said  Tommy,  who  was 
standing  on  tip-toe  to  tie  the  skipper's  bonnet  on.  "  Now 
tie  the  scarf  over  his  chin  to  hide  his  beard,  and  put  this 
veil  on.     It's  a  good  job  he  ain't  got  a  moustache." 

The  other  complied,  and  then  fell  back  a  pace  or  two 
to  gaze  at  his  handiwork.  "  Strewth,  though  I  sees  it  as 
shouldn't,  you  look  a  treat !  "  he  remarked  complacently. 
"  Now,  young-un,  take  'old  of  his  arm.  Go  up  the  back 
streets,  and  if  you  see  anybody  looking  at  you,  call  'im 
Mar." 

The  two  set  off,  after  the  man,  who  was  a  born  realist, 
had  tried  to  snatch  a  kiss  from  the  skipper  on  the  thres- 
hold. Fortunately  for  the  success  of  the  venture,  it  was 
pelting  with  rain,  and,  though  a  few  people  gazed  curiously 
at  the  couple  as  they  went  hastily  along,  they  were  unmo- 
lested, and  gained  the  wharf  in  safety,  arriving  just  in 
time  to  see  the  schooner  shoving  off  from  the  side. 

At  the  sight  the  skipper  held  up  his  skirts  and  ran. 
"  Ahoy  !  "  he  shouted.     "  Wait  a  minute." 

The  mate  gave  one  look  of  blank  astonishment  at  the 
extraordinary  figure,  and  then  turned  away;  but  at  that 
moment  the  stern  came  within  jumping  distance  of  the 
wharf,  and  uncle  and  nephew,  moved  with  one  impulse 
leaped  for  it  and  gained  the  deck  in  safety. 

"  Why  didn't  you  wait  when  I  hailed  you  ?  "  demanded 
the  skipper  fiercely. 

"  How  was  I  to  know  it  was  you  ?  "  inquired  the  mate 
surlily,  as  he  realised  his  defeat.  "  I  thought  it  was  the 
Empress  of  Rooshia." 


84  MANY  CARGOES 

The  skipper  stared  at  him  dumbly. 

"  An'  if  you  take  my  advice,"  said  the  mate,  with  a  sneer, 
"  you  '11  keep  them  things  on.  /  never  see  you  look  so  well 
in  anything  afore." 

"  I  want  to  borrow  some  o'  your  clothes,  Bob,"  said  the 
skipper,  eyeing  him  steadily. 

"  Where 's  your  own  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  the  skipper.  "I  was  took  with 
a  fit  last  night.  Bob,  and  when  I  woke  up  this  morning 
they  were  gone.  Somebody  must  have  took  advantage  of 
my  helpless  state  and  taken  'em." 

"Very  Ukely,"  said  the  mate,  turning  away  to  shout  an 
order  to  the  crew,  who  were  busy  setting  sail. 

"  Where  are  they,  old  man  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper. 

"How  should  I  know?"  asked  the  other,  becoming 
interested  in  the  men  again. 

"  I  mean  your  clothes,"  said  the  skipper,  who  was  fast 
losing  his  temper. 

"Oh,  mine?"  said  the  mate.  "Well,  as  a  matter  o* 
fact,  I  don't  like  lending  my  clothes.  I'm  rather  pertickler, 
You  might  have  a  fit  in  them." 

"  You  won't  lend  'em  to  me  ?  "  asked  the  skipper, 

"  I  won't,"  said  the  mate,  speaking  loudly,  and  frowning 
significantly  at  the  crew,  who  were  Ustening. 

"Very  good,"  said  the  skipper.  "Ted,  come  here. 
Where's  your  other  clothes?" 

"  I  'm  very  sorry,  sir,"  said  Ted,  shifting  uneasily  from 
one  leg  to  the  other,  and  glancing  at  the  mate  for  support ; 
"  but  they  ain't  fit  for  the  likes  of  you  to  wear,  sir." 

"I'm  the  best  judge  of  that,"  said  the  skipper  sharply, 
"  Fetch  'em  up." 

"Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  sir,"  said  Ted,  "I'm  like  the 
mate.  I'm  only  a  poor  sailor-man,  but  I  wouldn't  lend  my 
clothes  to  the  Queen  of  England." 


IN  BORROWED  PLUMES  85 

"You  fetch  up  them  clothes,"  roared  the  skij^per 
snatching  off  his  bonnet  and  flinging  it  on  the  deck. 
"Fetch  'em  up  at  once.  D'ye  think  I'm  going  about 
in  these  petticuts?" 

"  They  're  my  clothes,"  muttered  Ted  doggedly. 

"Very  well,  then,  I'll  have  Bill's,"  said  the  skij^er. 
"  But  mind  you,  my  lad,  I  '11  make  you  pay  for  this  afore 
I've  done  with  you.  Bill's  the  only  honest  man  aboard 
this  ship.     Gimme  your  hand.  Bill,  old  man." 

"I'm  with  them  two,"  said  Bill  gruHly,  as  he  turned 
away. 

The  skipper,  biting  his  lips  with  fury,  turned  from  one  to 
the  other,  and  then,  with  a  big  oath,  walked  forward.  Before 
he  could  reach  the  fo'c'sle  Bill  and  Ted  dived  down  before 
him,  and,  by  the  time  he  had  descended,  sat  on  their  chests 
side  by  side  confronting  him.  To  threats  and  appeals  aHke 
they  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  the  frantic  skipper  was  com- 
pelled at  last  to  go  on  deck  again,  still  encumbered  widk 
the  hated  skirts. 

"Why  don't  you  go  an'  lay  down,"  said  the  mate,  "an* 
I'll  send  you  down  a  nice  cup  o'  hot  tea.  You'll  get 
histericks,  if  you  go  on  like  that." 

"  1 11  knock  your  'ead  off  if  you  talk  to  me,"  said  tbe 
skipper. 

"Not  you,"  said  the  mate  cheerfully;  "you  ain't  big 
enough.     Look  at  that  pore  fellow  over  there." 

The  skipper  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  andf 
swelling  with  impotent  rage,  shook  his  fist  fiercely  at  a  red- 
faced  man  with  grey  whiskers,  who  was  wafting  innumerable 
tender  kisses  from  the  bridge  of  a  passing  steamer. 

"That's  right,"  said  the  mate  approvingly;  "dcwi't  give 
'im  no  encouragement.  Love  at  first  sight  ain't  worth 
having." 

The  skipper,  suffering  severely  from  suppressed  entotion, 


86  MANY  CARGOES 

went  below,  and  the  crew,  after  waiting  a  little  while  to 
make  sure  that  he  was  not  coming  up  again,  made  their 
way  quietly  to  the  mate. 

•'  If  we  can  only  take  him  to  Battlesea  in  this  rig  it  *l\  be 
all  right,"  said  the  latter.  "  You  chaps  stand  by  me.  His 
slippers  and  sou'-wester  is  the  only  clothes  he 's  got  aboard. 
Chuck  every  needle  you  can  lay  your  hands  on  overboard, 
ot  else  he  11  git  trying  to  make  a  suit  out  of  a  piece  of  old 
sail  or  something.  If  we  can  only  take  him  to  Mr.  Pearson 
like  this,  it  won't  be  so  bad  after  all." 

While  these  arrangements  were  in  hand  above,  the 
skipper  and  the  boy  were  busy  over  others  below. 
Various  startling  schemes  propounded  by  the  skipper  for 
obtaining  possession  of  hrs  men's  attire  were  rejected  by 
the  youth  as  unlawful,  and,  what  was  worse,  impracticable. 
F(M-  a  couple  of  hours  they  discussed  ways  and  means,  but 
only  ended  in  diatribes  against  the  mean  ways  of  the  crew ; 
and  the  skipper,  whose  head  ached  still  from  his  excesses, 
fell  into  a  state  of  sullen  despair  at  length,  and  sat 
silent. 

"By  Jove,  Tommy,  I've  got  it,"  he  cried  suddenly, 
starting  up  and  hitting  the  table  with  his  fist.  "Where's 
your  other  suit  ?  " 

"  That  ain't  no  bigger  that  this  one,"  said  Tommy. 

"You  git  it  out,"  said  the  skipper,  with  a  knowing  toss  of 
his  head.  "Ah,  there  we  are.  Now  go  in  my  state-room 
and  take  those  oflF." 

The  wondering  Tommy,  who  thought  that  great  grief 
had  turned  his  kinsman's  brain,  complied,  and  emerged 
shortly  afterwards  in  a  blanket,  bringing  his  clothes  under 
his  arm. 

"  Now,  do  you  know  what  I  'm  going  to  do  ? "  inquired 
the  skipper,  with  a  big  smile. 

"No." 


IN   BORROWED   PLUMES  87 

*  Fetch  me  the  scissors,  then.  Now  do  you  know  what 
I  'm  going  to  do  ?  " 

•■  Cut  up  the  two  suits  and  make  'em  into  one,"  hazarded 
the  horror-stricken  Tommy.     "  Here,  stop  it  I    Leave  off!" 

The  skipper  pushed  him  impatiently  off,  and,  placing 
the  clothes  on  the  table,  took  up  the  scissors,  and,  with 
a  few  slashing  strokes,  cut  them  garments  into  their  com- 
ponent parts. 

"What  am  /  to  wear,"  said  Tommy,  beginning  to 
blubber.     "  You  didn't  think  of  that  ?  " 

"  What  are  you  to  wear,  you  selfish  young  pig  ?  "  said  the 
skipper  sternly.  "  Always  thinking  about  yourself.  Go 
and  git  some  needles  and  thread,  and  if  there 's  any  left 
over,  and  you  're  a  good  boy,  I  '11  see  whether  I  can't  make 
something  for  you  out  of  the  leavings," 

••There  ain't  no  needles  here,"  whined  Tommy,  after  a 
lengthened  search. 

"Go  down  the  fo'c'sle  and  git  the  case  of  sail-makers* 
needles,  then,"  said  the  skipper.  ••Don't  let  anyone  see 
what  you  're  after,  an'  some  thread." 

••  Well,  why  couldn't  you  let  me  go  in  my  clothes  before 
you  cut  'em  up,"  moaned  Tommy.  "  I  don't  like  going  up 
in  this  blanket.     They  '11  laugh  at  me." 

•'  You  go  at  once ! "  thundered  the  skipper,  and,  turning 
his  back  on  him,  whistled  softly,  and  began  to  arrange  the 
pieces  of  cloth. 

"Laugh  away,  my  lads,"  he  said  cheerfully,  as  an 
uproarious  burst  of  laughter  greeted  the  appearance  of 
Tommy  on  deck.     ••Wait  a  bit." 

He  waited  himself  for  nearly  twenty  minutes,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  Tommy,  treading  on  his  blanket,  came 
flying  down  the  companion-ladder,  and  rolled  into  the 
cabin. 

"There  ain't  a  needle  aboard  the  ship,"  he  said  solemnly, 


88  MANY  CARGOES 

as  he  picked  himself  up  and  rubbed  his  head.  "I've 
looked  everywhere." 

"What?"  roared  the  skipper,  hastily  concealing  the  pieces 
of  cloth.     "  Here,  Ted !  Ted  ! " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ! "  said  Ted,  as  he  came  below. 

"I  want  a  sail-maker's  needle,"  said  the  skipper  glibly. 
**  I  've  got  a  rent  in  this  skirt." 

"  I  broke  the  last  one  yesterday,"  said  Ted,  with  an  evil 
grin. 

"Any  other  needle  then,"  said  the  skipper,  trying  to 
conceal  his  emotion. 

"  I  don't  believe  there 's  such  a  thing  aboard  the  ship," 
said  Ted,  who  had  obeyed  the  mate's  thoughtful  injunction. 
"Nor  thread.    I  was  only  saying  so  to  the  mate  yesterday." 

The  skipper  sank  again  to  the  lowest  depths,  waved 
him  away,  and  then,  getting  on  a  corner  of  the  locker,  fell 
into  a  gloomy  reverie. 

"  It 's  a  pity  you  do  things  in  such  a  hurry,"  said  Tommy, 
sniffing  vindictively.  "You  might  have  made  sure  of  the 
needle  before  you  spoiled  my  clothes.  There's  two  of  us 
going  about  ridiculous  now." 

The  master  of  the  Sarah  Jane  allowed  this  insolence 
to  pass  unheeded.  It  is  in  moments  of  deep  distress  that 
the  mind  of  man,  naturally  reverting  to  solemn  things, 
seeks  to  improve  the  occasion  by  a  lecture.  The  skipper, 
chastened  by  suffering  and  disappointment,  stuck  his  right 
hand  in  his  pocket,  after  a  lengthened  search  for  it,  and 
gently  bidding  the  blanketed  urchin  in  front  of  him  to  sit 
down,  began : 

"You  see  what  comes  of  drink  and  cards,"  he  said 
mournfully.  "Instead  of  being  at  the  helm  of  my  ship, 
racing  all  the  other  craft  down  the  river,  I'm  skulkin' 
down  below  here  like — like  " 

*'  like  an  actress,"  suggested  Tommy. 


IN    BORROWED   PLUMES  89 

The  skipper  eyed  him  all  over.  Tommy,  unconscious 
of  offence,  met  his  gaze  serenely. 

"  If,"  continued  the  skipper,  "  at  any  time  you  felt  like 
taking  too  much,  and  you  stopped  with  the  beer-mug  half- 
way to  your  lips,  and  thought  of  me  sitting  in  thig 
disgraceful  state,  what  would  you  do?" 

"  I  dunno,"  replied  Tommy,  yawning. 

"What  would  you  do?"  persisted  the  skipper,  with 
great  expression. 

"Laugh,  I  s'pose,^  said  Tommy,  after  a  moment'! 
thought 

The  sound  of  a  well-boxed  ear  rang  through  the  cabin. 

"You're  an  unnatural,  ungrateful  little  toad,"  said  the 
skipper  fiercely.  "You  don't  deserve  to  have  a  good, 
kind  uncle  to  look  after  you." 

"Anybody  can  have  him  for  me,"  sobbed  the  indignant 
Tommy,  as  he  tenderly  felt  his  ear.  "  You  look  a  precious 
sight  more  like  an  aunt  than  an  uncle." 

After  firing  this  shot  he  vanished  in  a  cloud  of  blanket, 
and  the  skipper,  reluctantly  abandoning  a  hastily-formed 
resolve  of  first  flaying  him  alive  and  then  flinging  him 
overboard,  sat  down  again  and  lit  his  pipe. 

Once  out  of  the  river  he  came  on  deck  again,  and, 
ignoring  by  a  great  effort  the  smiles  of  the  crew  and  the 
jibes  of  the  mate,  took  command.  The  only  alteration 
he  made  in  his  dress  was  to  substitute  his  sou'-wester  for 
the  bonnet,  and  in  this  guise  he  did  his  work  while  the 
aggrieved  Tommy  hopped  it  in  blankets.  The  three  days 
at  sea  passed  like  a  horrid  dream.  So  covetous  was  his 
gaze,  that  the  crew  instinctively  clutched  their  nether 
garments  and  looked  to  the  buttoning  of  their  coats  as 
they  passed  him.  He  saw  coats  in  the  mainsail,  and 
fashioned  phantom  trousers  out  of  the  flying  jib,  and 
towards  the  end  began  to  babble  of  blue  serges  and  mixed 


90  MANY  CARGOES 

tweeds.  Oblivious  of  fame,  he  had  resolved  to  enter 
the  harbour  of  Battlesea  by  night;  but  it  was  not  to  be. 
Near  home  the  wind  dropped,  and  the  sun  was  well  up 
before  Battlesea  came  into  view,  a  grey  bank  on  the 
starboard  bow. 

Until  within  a  mile  of  the  harbour,  the  skipper  held 
on,  and  then  his  grasp  on  the  wheel  relaxed  somewhat,  and 
he  looked  round  anxiously  for  the  mate. 

"Where's  Bob?"  he  shouted. 

"  He 's  very  ill,  sir,"  said  Ted,  shaking  his  head. 

"111?"  gasped  the  startled  skipper.  "Here,  take  the 
wheel  a  minute." 

He  handed  it  over,  and  grasping  his  skirts  went  hastily 
below.  The  mate  was  half  lying,  half  sitting,  in  his  bunk, 
groaning  dismally. 

•'  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper. 

"  I  'm  dying,"  said  the  mate.  "  I  keep  being  tied  up  all 
in  knots  inside.     I  can't  hold  myself  straight." 

The  other  cleared  his  throat.  "You'd  better  take  off 
your  clothes  and  lie  down  a  bit,"  he  said  kindly.  "Let 
me  help  you  off  with  them." 

•'  No — don't — trouble,"  panted  the  mate. 

"It  ain't  no  trouble,"  said  the  skipper,  in  a  trembling  voica 

"  No,  I  '11  keep  'em  on,"  said  the  mate  faintly.  •'  I  've 
always  had  an  idea  I  'd  like  to  die  in  my  clothes.  It  may 
be  foolish,  but  I  can't  help  it" 

"  You  '11  have  your  wish  some  day,  never  fear,  you  infernal 
rascal,"  shouted  the  overwrought  skipper.  "  You  're  sham- 
ming sickness  to  make  me  take  the  ship  into  port" 

"Why  shouldn't  you  take  her  in,"  asked  the  mate,  with 
an  air  of  innocent  surprise.  "It's  your  duty  as  cap'o. 
You  'd  better  get  above  now.     The  bar  is  always  shifting." 

The  skipper,  restraining  himself  by  a  mighty  effort^ 
went  on  deck  again,  and,  taking  the  whed,  addressed  tho 


IN  BORROWED   PLUMES  91 

crew.  He  spoke  feelingly  of  the  obedience  men  owed 
their  superior  officers,  and  the  moral  obligation  they  were 
under  to  lend  them  their  trousers  when  they  required 
them.  He  dwelt  on  the  awful  punishments  awarded  for 
mutiny,  and  proved  clearly,  that  to  allow  the  master  of  a 
ship  to  enter  port  in  petticoats  was  mutiny  of  the  worst 
type.  He  then  sent  them  below  for  their  clothing.  They 
were  gone  such  a  long  time  that  it  was  palpable  to  the 
meanest  intellect  that  they  did  not  intend  to  bring  it. 
Meantime  the  harbour  widened  out  before  him. 

There  were  two  or  three  people  on  the  quay  as  the 
Sarah  Jane  came  within  hailing  distance.  By  the  time 
she  had  passed  the  lantern  at  the  end  of  it  there  were  two 
or  three  dozen,  and  the  numbers  were  steadily  increasing 
at  the  rate  of  three  persons  for  every  live  yards  she  made. 
Kind-hearted,  humane  men,  anxious  that  their  friends 
should  not  lose  so  great  and  cheap  a  treat,  bribed  small 
and  reluctant  boys  with  pennies  to  go  in  search  of  them, 
and  by  the  time  the  schooner  reached  her  berth,  a  large 
proportion  of  the  population  of  the  port  was  looking  over 
each  other's  shoulders  and  shouting  foolish  and  hilarious 
inquiries  to  the  skipper.  The  news  reached  the  owner, 
and  he  came  hurrying  down  to  the  ship,  just  as  the  skipper, 
regardless  of  the  heated  remonstrances  of  the  sightseers, 
was  preparing  to  go  below. 

Mr.  Pearson  was  a  stout  man,  and  he  came  down  ex- 
ploding with  wrath.  Then  he  saw  the  apparition,  and 
mirth  overcame  him.  It  became  necessary  for  three  stout 
fellows  to  act  as  buttresses,  and  the  more  indignant  the 
skipper  looked  the  harder  their  work  became.  Finally  he 
was  assisted,  in  a  weak  state,  and  laughing  hysterically, 
to  the  deck  of  the  schooner,  where  he  followed  the  skipper 
below,  and  in  a  voice  broken  with  emotion  demanded  an 
explanation. 


9t  MANY  CARGOES 

"It's  the  finest  sight  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  Bross,"  he 
said  when  the  other  had  finished.  "I  wouldn't  have  missed 
it  for  anything.  I  've  been  feeling  very  low  this  last  week, 
and  it 's  done  me  good.  Don't  talk  nonsense  about  leaving 
the  ship.  I  wouldn't  lose  you  for  anything  after  this, 
but  if  you  Uke  to  ship  a  fresh  mate  and  crew  you  can 
please  yourself.  If  you'll  only  come  up  to  the  house 
and  let  Mrs.  Pearson  see  you — she's  been  ailing — I'll 
give  you  a  couple  of  pounds.  Now,  get  your  bonnet  and 
come," 


THE    BOATSWAIN'S   WATCH 


CAPTAIN  POLSON  sat  in  his  comfortable  parlour 
smiling  benignly  upon  his  daughter  and  sister.  His 
ship,  after  an  absence  of  eighteen  months,  was  once  more 
berthed  in  the  small  harbour  of  Barborough,  and  the  captain 
was  sitting  in  that  state  of  good-natured  affability  which 
invariably  characterised  his  first  appearance  after  a  long 
absence. 

"No  news  this  end,  I  suppose,"  he  inquired,  after  a 
lengthy  recital  of  most  extraordinarily  uninteresting  adven- 
tures. 

"Not  much,"  said  his  sister  Jane,  looking  nervously  at 
her  niece.  "Young  Metcalfe  has  gone  into  partnership 
with  his  father." 

"I  don't  want  to  hear  about  those  sharks,"  said  the 
captain,  waxing  red.     "  Tell  me  about  honest  men." 

"  Joe  Lewis  has  had  a  month's  imprisonment  for  stealing 
fowls,"  said  Miss  Poison  meekly.  "Mrs.  Purton  has  had 
twins — dear  little  fellows  they  are,  fat  as  butter  ! — she  has 
named  one  of  them  Poison,  after  you.    The  greedy  one." 

"Any  deaths?"  inquired  the  captain  snappishly,  as  he 
eyed  the  innocent  lady  suspiciously. 

"  Poor  old  Jasper  Wheeler  has  gone,"  said  his  sister ; 
"  he  was  very  resigned.  He  borrowed  enough  money  to  get 
a  big  doctor  from  London,  and  when  he  heard  that  there 
was  no  hope  for  him  he  said  he  was  just  longing  to  go,  and 
he  was  sorry  he  couldn't  take  all  his  dear  ones  with  him. 

9J 


94  -  MANY  CARGOES 

Mary  Hewson  is  married  to  Jack  Draper,  and  young 
Metcalfe's  banns  go  up  for  the  third  time  next  Sunday." 

"  I  hope  he  gets  a  Tartar,"  said  the  vindictive  captain. 
"  Who  's  the  girl  ?  Some  silly  little  fool,  I  know.  She 
ought  to  be  warned  ! " 

"  I  don't  believe  in  interfering  in  marriages,"  said  his 
daughter  Chrissie,  shaking  her  head  sagely. 

"  Oh  1 "  said  the  captain,  staring,  "you  don't !  Now 
you  've  put  your  hair  up  and  taken  to  wearing  long  frocks, 
I  suppose  you  're  beginning  to  think  of  it." 

"Yes;  auntie  wants  to  tell  you  something  I"  said  his 
daughter,  rising  and  crossing  the  room. 

"  No,  I  don't  1 "  said  Miss  Poison  hastily. 

"  You  'd  better  do  it,"  said  Chrissie,  giving  her  a  little 
push,  "  there 's  a  dear ;  I  '11  go  upstairs  and  lock  myself  in 
my  room." 

The  face  of  the  captain,  whilst  this  conversation  was 
passing,  was  a  study  in  suppressed  emotions.  He  was  a 
firm  advocate  for  importing  the  manners  of  the  quarter- 
deck into  private  life,  the  only  drawback  being  that  he  had 
to  leave  behind  him  the  language  usual  in  that  locality. 
To  this  omission  he  usually  ascribed  his  failures. 

"  Sit  down,  Chrissie,"  he  commanded ;  "  sit  down,  Jane. 
Now,  miss,  what 's  all  this  about  ?  " 

"  I  don't  like  to  tell  you,"  said  Chrissie,  folding  her  hands 
in  her  lap.  *'  I  know  you  '11  be  cross.  You  're  so  un- 
reasonable." 

The  captain  stared — frightfully. 

*'  I  'm  going  to  be  married,"  said  Chrissie  suddenly, — 
"  there  1  To  Jack  Metcalfe — there  1  So  you  '11  have  to 
leam  to  love  him.  He 's  going  to  try  and  love  you  for  my 
sake."  To  his  sister's  dismay  the  captain  got  up,  and 
brandishing  his  fists  walked  violently  to  and  fro.  By  these 
simple  but  unusual  means  decorum  was  preserved. 


THE   BOATSWAIN'S   WATCH  95 

**  If  you  were  only  a  boy,"  said  the  captain,  when  he  had 
regained  his  seat,  *'  I  should  know  what  to  do  with  you." 

'•  If  I  were  a  boy,"  said  Chrissie,  who,  having  braced 
herself  up  for  the  fray,  meant  to  go  through  with  it,  "I 
shouldn't  want  to  marry  Jack.     Don't  be  silly,  father  1 " 

"  Jane,"  said  the  captain,  in  a  voice  which  made  the  lady 
addressed  start  in  her  chair,  "  what  do  you  mean  by  it  ?  " 

"It  isn't  my  fault,"  said  Miss  Poison  feebly.  "I  told 
her  how  it  would  be.  And  it  was  so  gradual ;  he  admired 
my  geraniums  at  first,  and,  of  course,  I  was  deceived. 
There  are  so  many  people  admire  my  geraniums ;  whether 
it  is  because  the  window  has  a  south  aspect " 

"Oh!"  said  the  captain  rudely,  "that'll  do,  Jane.  If 
he  wasn't  a  lawyer,  I  'd  go  round  and  break  his  neck. 
Chrissie  is  only  nineteen,  and  she'll  come  for  a  year's 
cruise  with  me.  Perhaps  the  sea  air  '11  strengthen  her  head. 
We  '11  see  who 's  master  in  this  family." 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  want  to  be  master,"  said  his  daughter, 
taking  a  weapon  of  fine  cambric  out  of  her  pocket,  and 
getting  ready  for  action.  "  I  can't  help  liking  people. 
Auntie  likes  him  too,  don't  you,  auntie  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Poison  bravely. 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  autocrat  promptly,  "  1 11  take  you 
both  for  a  cruise." 

"  You  're  making  me  very  un — unhappy,"  said  Chrissie, 
burying  her  face  in  her  handkerchief. 

"You'll  be  more  unhappy  before  I've  done  with  you,** 
said  the  captain  grimly.  "And  while  I  tliink  of  it,  111 
step  round  and  stop  those  banns." 

His  daughter  caught  him  by  the  arm  as  he  was  passing, 
and  laid  her  face  on  his  sleeve.  "  You  '11  make  me  look  so 
foolish,"  she  wailed. 

"  That  '11  make  it  easier  for  you  to  come  to  sea  with  me," 
aid  her  father.     "  Don't  cry  all  over  my  sleeve.     1  *ia 


96  MANY  CARGOES 

going  to  see  a  parson.  Run  upstairs  and  play  with  youi 
dolls,  and  if  you're  a  good  girl,  I'll  bring  you  in  some 
sweets."  He  put  on  his  hat,  and  closing  the  front  door 
with  a  bang,  went  off  to  the  new  rector  to  knock  two  years 
oflf  the  age  which  his  daughter  kept  for  purposes  of  matri- 
mony. The  rector,  grieved  at  such  dupUcity  in  one  sc 
young,  met  him  more  than  half  way,  and  he  came  out  from 
him  smiling  placidly,  until  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a 
young  man  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  who  was 
regarding  him  with  manifest  awkwardness. 

"Good  evening,  Captain  Poison,"  he  said,  crossing  the 
road. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  captain,  stopping,  "  I  wanted  to  speak  to 
jrou.  I  suppose  you  wanted  to  marry  my  daughter  while  I 
was  out  of  the  way,  to  save  trouble.  Just  the  manly  thing 
I  should  have  expected  of  you.  I've  stopped  the  banns, 
and  1  'm  going  to  take  her  for  a  voyage  with  me.  You  '11 
have  to  look  elsewhere,  my  lad." 

"  The  ill  feeling  is  all  on  your  side,  captain,"  said 
Metcalfe,  reddening. 

"Ill  feehng!"  snorted  the  captain.  "You  put  me  in 
the  witness-box,  and  made  me  a  laughing-stock  in  the  place 
with  your  silly  attempts  at  jokes,  lost  me  five  hundred 
pounds,  and  then  try  and  marry  my  daughter  while  I  'm  at 
sea.     Ill  feeling  be  hanged  1 " 

"  That  was  business,"  said  the  other. 

"  It  was,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  this  is  business  too. 
Mine.  I  '11  look  after  it,  I  '11  promise  you.  I  think  I  know 
who  '11  look  silly  this  time.  I  'd  sooner  see  my  girl  in 
heaven  than  married  to  a  rascal  of  a  lawyer." 

"  You  'd  want  good  glasses,"  retorted  Metcalfe,  who  was 
becoming  ruffled. 

'*  I  don't  want  to  bandy  worda  with  you,"  said  the 
captain    with    dignity,    after    a    long    pause,    devoted    to 


THE   BOATSWAIN'S   WATCH  97 

thinking  of  something  worth  bandying.  "You  think 
you  're  a  clever  fellow,  but  I  know  a  cleverer.  You  're 
quite  welcome  to  marry  my  daughter — if  you  can." 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  refusing  to  listen  to  any 
further  remarks,  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  Arrived  home, 
he  lit  his  pipe,  and  throwing  himself  into  an  armchair, 
related  his  exploits.  Chrissie  had  recourse  to  her  hand- 
kerchief again,  more  for  effect  than  use,  but  Miss  Poison, 
who  was  a  tender  soul,  took  hers  out  and  wept  un- 
restrainedly. At  first  the  captain  took  it  well  enough.  It 
was  a  tribute  to  his  power,  but  when  they  took  to  sobbing 
one  against  the  other,  his  temper  rose,  and  he  sternly 
commanded  silence. 

"  I  shall  be  like — this— every  day  at  sea,"  sobbed 
Chrissie  vindictively,  "  only  worse  j  making  us  all 
ridiculous." 

"  Stop  that  noise  directly  1 "  vociferated  the  captain. 

"  We  c-c-can't,"  sobbed  Miss  Poison. 

"  And  we  d-don't  want  to,"  said  Chrissie.  "  It 's  all  wo 
can  do,  and  we  're  going  to  do  it.  You  'd  better  g-go  out 
and  stop  something  else.     You  can't  stop  us." 

The  captain  took  the  advice  and  went,  and  in  the 
billiard-room  of  the  "  George  "  heard  some  news  which  set 
him  thinking,  and  which  brought  him  back  somewhat 
earlier  than  he  had  at  first  intended.  A  small  group  at  his 
gate  broke  up  into  its  elements  at  his  approach,  and  the 
captain,  following  his  sister  and  daughter  into  the  room, 
sat  down  and  eyed  them  severely. 

"  So  you  're  going  to  run  off  to  London  to  get  married, 
Are  you,  miss  ? "  he  said  ferociously.  "  Well,  we  '11  see. 
You  don't  go  out  of  my  sight  until  we  sail,  and  if  I  catch 
•Jiat  pettifogging  lawyer  round  at  my  gate  again,  I  '11  break 
every  bone  in  his  body,  mind  that." 

For  the  next  three  days  the  captain  kept  his  daughter 

u 


98  MANY  CARGOES 

under  observation,  and  never  allowed  her  to  stir  abroad 
except  in  his  company.  The  evening  of  the  third  day,  to 
his  own  great  surprise,  he  spent  at  a  Dorcas.  The  company 
was  not  congenial,  several  of  the  ladies  putting  their  work 
away,  and  glaring  frigidly  at  the  intruder  ;  and  though  they 
could  see  clearly  that  he  was  suflFering  greatly,  made  no 
attempt  to  put  him  at  his  ease.  He  was  very  thoughtful 
all  the  way  home,  and  the  next  day  took  a  partner  into  the 
concern,  in  the  shape  of  his  boatswain. 

"  You  understand,  Tucker,"  he  concluded,  as  the  hapless 
seaman  stood  in  a  cringing  attitude  before  Chrissie,  "  that 
you  never  let  my  daughter  out  of  your  sight.  When  she 
goes  out  you  go  with  her." 

"  Yessir,"  said  Tucker ;  "  and  suppose  she  tells  me  to  go 
home,  what  am  I  to  do  then  ?  " 

"  You  're  a  fool,"  said  the  captain  sharply.  "  It  doesn't 
matter  what  she  says  or  does ;  unless  you  are  in  the  same 
room,  you  are  never  to  be  more  than  three  yards  from  her." 

"  Make  it  four,  cap'n,"  said  the  boatswain,  in  a  broken 

Toice. 

"Three,"  said  the  captain;  "and  mind,  she's  artful. 
All  girls  are,  and  she'll  try  and  give  you  the  slip.  I've 
had  information  given  me  as  to  what's  going  on.  What- 
ever happens,  you  are  not  to  leave  her." 

"I  wish  you'd  get  somebody  else,  sir,"  said  Tucker, 
very  respectfully.  "  There 's  a  lot  of  chaps  aboard  that  'd 
like  the  job." 

"You're  the  only  man  I  can  trust,"  said  the  captain 
shortly.  "When  I  give  you  orders  I  know  they'll  be 
obeyed ;  it 's  your  watch  now." 

He  went  out  humming.  Chrissie  took  up  a  book  and 
sat  down,  utterly  ignoring  the  woebegone  figure  which 
stood  the  regulation  three  yards  from  her,  twisting  its  cap 
in  its  hands. 


THE  BOATSWAIN'S  WATCH  99 

"  I  hope,  miss,"  said  the  boatswain,  after  standing 
patieDtly  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  "  as  'ow  you  won't 
think  I  sought  arter  this  'ere  little  job." 

"  No,"  said  Chrissie,  without  looking  up. 

"  I  'm  just  obeying  orders,"  continued  the  boatswain. 
**I  always  git  let  in  for  these  'ere  little  jobs,  somehow. 
The  monkeys  I've  had  to  look  arter  aboard  ship  would 
frighten  you.  There  never  was  a  monkey  on  the  Monarch 
but  what  I  was  in  charge  of.  That's  what  a  man  gets 
through  being  trustworthy." 

"  Just  so,"  said  Chrissie,  putting  down  her  booL  "  Well, 
I  'm  going  into  the  kitchen  now ;  come  along,  nursie." 

•'  'Ere,  I  say,  miss  I  "  remonstrated  Tucker,  flushing. 

••  I  don't  know  how  Susan  will  like  you  going  in  her 
kitch^i,"  said  Chrissie  thoughtfully ;  "  however,  that  '■ 
your  business." 

The  unfortunate  seaman  followed  his  fair  charge  into  the 
kitchen,  and,  leaning  against  the  door-post,  doubled  up  like 
a  Ump  rag  before  the  terrible  glance  of  its  mistress. 

"  Ho ! "  said  Susan,  who  took  the  state  of  affairs  as  an 
insult  to  the  sex  in  general;  "and  what  might  you  be 
wanting  ?  " 

"  Cap'n's  ordCTs,"  murmured  Tucker  feebly. 

"I'm  captain  here,"  said  Susan,  confronting  him  with 
her  bare  arms  akimbo. 

"And  credit  it  does  you,"  said  the  boatswain,  looking 
round  admiringly. 

"Is  it  your  wish,  Miss  Chrissie,  that  this  image  comes 
and  stalks  into  my  kitchen  as  if  the  place  belongs  to  him  ?  " 
demanded  the  irate  Susan. 

"I  didn't  mean  to  come  in  in  that  way,"  said  the 
astonished  Tucker.     "  I  can't  help  bebg  big." 

"  I  don't  want  him  here,"  said  her  mistress ;  "  what  do 
you  think  I  want  him  for  ?  " 


loo  MANY   CARGOES 

"You  hear  that?"  said  Susan,  pointing  to  the  door; 
"  now  go.  I  don't  want  people  to  say  that  you  come  into 
this  kitchen  after  me." 

"  I  'm  here  by  the  cap'n's  orders,"  said  Tucker  faintly. 
"I  don't  want  to  be  here — far  from  it.  As  for  people 
saying  that  I  come  here  after  you,  them  as  knows  me 
would  laugh  at  the  idea." 

"  If  I  had  my  way,"  said  Susan,  in  a  hard  rasping  voice, 
•'  I  'd  box  your  ears  for  you.  That 's  what  I  'd  do  to  you, 
and  you  can  go  and  tell  the  cap'n  I  said  so.     Spy ! " 

This  was  the  first  verse  of  the  first  watch,  and  there  were 
many  verses.  To  add  to  his  discomfort  he  was  confined 
to  the  house,  as  his  charge  manifested  no  desire  to  g3 
outside,  and  as  neither  she  nor  her  aunt  cared  about  the 
trouble  of  bringing  him  to  a  fit  and  proper  state  of  subjec- 
tion, the  task  became  a  labour  of  love  for  the  energetic 
Susan.  In  spite  of  everything,  however,  he  stuck  to  his 
guns,  and  the  indignant  Chrissie,  who  was  in  almost  hourly 
communication  with  Metcalfe  through  the  medium  of  her 
faithful  handmaiden,  was  rapidly  becoming  desperate. 

On  the  fourth  day,  time  getting  short,  Chrissie  went  on 
a  new  tack  with  her  keeper,  and  Susan,  sorely  against  her 
will,  had  to  follow  suit.  Chrissie  smiled  at  him,  Susan 
called  him  Mr.  Tucker,  and  Miss  Poison  gave  him  a  glass 
of  her  best  wine.  From  the  position  of  an  outcast,  he 
jumped  in  one  bound  to  that  of  confidential  adviser.  Miss 
Poison  told  him  many  items  of  family  interest,  and  later  on 
in  the  afternoon  actually  consulted  him  as  to  a  bad  cold 
which  Chrissie  had  developed. 

He  prescribed  half-a-pint  of  linseed  oil  hot,  but  Miss 
Poison  favoured  chlorodyne.  The  conversation  then 
turned  on  the  deadly  qualities  of  that  drug  when  taken 
in  excess,  of  the  fatal  sleep  in  which  it  lulled  its  victmis. 
So  disastrous  were  the  incidents  cited,  that  half  an  hour 


THE   BOATSWAIN'S   WATCH  toi 

later,  when,  her  aunt  and  Susan  being  out,  Chrissie  took 
a  small  bottle  of  chlorodyne  from  the  mantel-piece,  the 
boatswain  implored  her  to  try  his  nastier  but  safer  remedy 
instead. 

*'  Nonsense  ! "  said  Chrissie,  "  I  'm  only  going  to  take 
twenty  drops — one — two — three  " 

The  drug  suddenly  poured  out  in  a  little  stream. 

"  I  should  think  that 's  about  it,"  said  Chrissie,  holding 
the  tumbler  up  to  the  light. 

*'  It 's  about  five  hundred  ! "  said  the  horrified  Tucker. 
"Don't  take  that,  miss,  whatever  you  do;  let  me  measure 
it  for  you." 

The  girl  waved  him  away,  and,  before  he  could  interfere, 
drank  off  the  contents  of  the  glass  and  resumed  her  seat. 
The  boatswain  watched  her  uneasily,  and  taking  up  the 
phial  carefully  read  through  the  directions.  After  that 
he  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  see  the  book  fall  from  his 
charge's  hand  on  to  the  floor,  and  her  eyes  close. 

"  I  knowed  it,"  said  Tucker,  in  a  profuse  perspiration, 
"I  knowed  it.  Them  blamed  gals  are  all  alike.  Always 
knows  what 's  best.     Miss  Poison  !     Miss  Poison  !  " 

He  shook  her  roughly,  but  to  no  purpose,  and  then 
running  to  the  door,  shouted  eagerly  for  Susan.  No  reply 
forthcoming  he  ran  to  the  window,  but  there  was  nobody 
in  sight,  and  he  came  back  and  stood  in  front  of  the  girl, 
wringing  his  huge  hands  helplessly.  It  was  a  great 
question  for  a  poor  sailor-man.  If  he  went  for  the  doctor 
he  deserted  his  post ;  if  he  didn't  go  his  charge  might  die. 
He  made  one  more  attempt  to  awaken  her,  and,  seizing 
a  flower-glass,  splashed  her  freely  with  cold  water.  She 
did  not  even  wince. 

"  It  *s  no  use  fooling  with  it,"  murmured  Tucker ;  "  I  must 
get  the  doctor,  that 's  all." 

He  quitted  the  room,  and,  dashing  hastily  downstairs,  had 


Io»  MANH    CARGOES 

already  opened  the  hall  door  when  a  thought  struck  him, 
and  he  came  back  again.  Chrissie  was  still  asleep  in  the 
chair,  and,  with  a  smile  at  the  clever  way  in  which  he  had 
solved  a  difficulty,  he  stooped  down,  and,  raising  her  in  his 
strong  arms,  bore  her  from  the  room  and  downstairs.  Then 
a  hitch  occurred.  The  triumphant  progress  was  marred  by 
the  behaviour  of  the  hall  door,  which,  despite  his  efforts, 
refused  to  be  opened,  and,  encumbered  by  his  fair  burden, 
he  could  not  for  some  time  ascertain  the  reason.  Then, 
full  of  shame  that  so  much  deceit  could  exist  in  so  fair  and 
frail  a  habitation,  he  discovered  that  Miss  Poison's  foot  was 
pressing  firmly  against  it.  Her  eyes  were  still  closed  and 
her  head  heavy,  but  the  fact  remained  that  one  foot  was 
acting  in  a  manner  that  was  full  of  intelligence  and  guile, 
and  when  he  took  it  away  from  the  door  the  other  one 
took  its  place.  By  a  sudden  manoeuvre  the  wily  Tucker 
turned  his  back  on  the  door,  and  opened  it,  and,  at  the 
same  moment,  a  hand  came  to  life  again  and  dealt  him 
a  stinging  slap  on  the  face. 

•'  Idiot ! "  said  the  indignant  Chrissie,  slipping  from  his 
arms  and  confronting  him.  "How  dare  you  take  such 
a  liberty  ?  " 

The  astonished  boatswain  felt  his  face,  and  regarded  her 
open-mouthed. 

"Don't  you  ever  dare  to  speak  to  me  again,"  said  the 
offended  maiden,  drawing  herself  up  with  irreproachable 
dignity.  "1  am  disgusted  with  your  conduct  Most  un- 
bearable 1 " 

"  I  was  carrying  you  off  to  the  doctor,"  said  the  boat- 
swain.    "  How  was  I  to  know  you  was  only  shamming  ?  " 

"  Shamming  t"  said  Chrissie,  in  tones  of  incredulous 
horror.  "  I  was  asleep.  I  often  go  to  sleep  in  the 
Rftemoon." 

The  boatswain  made  no  reply,  except  to  grin  with  great 


THE  BOATSWAIN'S  WATCH  103 

Intelligence  as  he  followed  his  charge  upstairs  again.  He 
grinned  at  intervals  until  the  return  of  Susan  and  Miss 
Poison,  who,  trying  to  look  unconcerned,  came  in  later  on, 
both  apparently  suffering  from  temper,  Susan  especially. 
Amid  the  sympathetic  interruptions  of  these  listeners 
Chrissie  recounted  her  experiences,  while  the  boatswain, 
despite  his  better  sense,  felt  like  the  greatest  scoundrel 
unhung,  a  feeling  which  was  fostered  by  the  remarks 
of  Susan  and  the  chilling  regards  of  Miss  Poison. 

"  I  shall  inform  the  captain,"  said  Miss  Poison,  bridling. 
"  It 's  my  duty." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  tell  him,"  said  Chrissie.  "  I  shall  tell  him 
the  moment  he  comes  in  at  the  door." 

"So  shall  I,"  said  Susan;  "the  idea  of  taking  such 
liberties  !  " 

Having  fired  this  broadside,  the  trio  watched  the  enemy 
narrowly  and  anxiously. 

"  If  I  've  done  anything  wrong,  ladies,"  said  the  unhappy 
boatswain,  "I  am  sorry  for  it.  I  can't  say  anything 
fairer  than  that,  and  I  '11  tell  the  cap'n  myself  exactly  how 
I  came  to  do  it  when  he  comes  in." 

"  Pah  !  tell-tale ! "  said  Susan. 

"Of  course,  if  you  are  here  to  fetch  and  carry,"  said 
Miss  Poison,  with  withering  emphasis. 

"  The  idea  of  a  grown  man  telling  tales,"  said  Chrissie 
scornfully.     "  Baby ! " 

"  Why,  just  now  you  were  all  going  to  tell  him  yourselves," 
said  the  bewildered  boatswain. 

The  two  elder  women  rose  and  regarded  him  with  looks 
of  pitying  disdain.  Miss  Poison's  glance  said  "Fooll' 
plainly ;  Susan,  a  simple  child  of  nature,  given  to  expressing 
her  mind  freely,  said  "  Blockhead  I "  with  conviction. 

"I  see  'ow  it  is,"  said  the  boatswain,  after  ruminating 
deeply.     "  Weil,  I  won't  split,  ladies.     I  can  see  now  you 


104  MANY  CARGOES 

was  all  in  it,  and  it  was  a  little  job  to  get  me  out  of  the 
house." 

"What  a  head  he  has  got,"  said  the  irritated  Susan; 
•'  isn't  it  wonderful  how  he  thinks  of  it  all  I  Nobody  would 
think  he  was  so  clever  to  look  at  him." 

"Still  waters  run  deep,"  said  the  boatswain,  who  was 
beginning  to  have  a  high  opinion  of  himself. 

"And  pride  goes  before  a  fall,"  said  Chrissie;  "remem- 
ber that,  Mr.  Tucker." 

Mr.  Tucker  grinned,  but,  remembering  the  fable  of  the 
pitcher  and  the  well,  pressed  his  superior  officer  that  evening 
to  relieve  him  from  his  duties.  He  stated  that  the  strain 
was  slowly  undermining  a  constitution  which  was  not  so 
strong  as  appearances  would  warrant,  and  that  his  know- 
ledge of  female  nature  was  lamentably  deficient  on  many 
important  points. 

"  You  're  doing  very  well,"  said  the  captain,  who  had  no 
intention  of  attending  any  more  Dorcases,  "  very  well 
indeed ;  1  am  proud  of  you." 

"  It  isn't  a  man's  work,"  objected  the  boatswain.  "Besides, 
if  anything  happens  you'll  blame  me  for  it." 

"  Nothing  can  happen,"  declared  the  captain  confidently. 
"  We  shall  make  a  start  in  about  four  days  now.  You  're 
the  only  man  I  can  trust  with  such  a  difficult  job,  Tucker, 
and  I  shan't  forget  you." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  other  dejectedly.  "  I  obey  orders, 
then." 

The  next  day  passed  quietly,  the  members  of  the  house- 
hold making  a  great  fuss  of  Tucker,  and  thereby  filling  him 
with  forebodings  of  the  worst  possible  nature.  On  the  day 
after,  when  the  captain,  having  business  at  a  neighbouring 
town,  left  him  in  sole  charge,  his  uneasiness  could  not  be 
concealed. 

"  1  *m  going  for  a  walk,"  said   Chrissie,  as  he  sat  by 


THE   BOATSWAIN'S  WATCH  105 

himself,  working  out  dangerous  moves  and  the  best  means 
of  checking  them;  "would  you  care  to  come  with  me, 
Tucker?" 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't  put  it  that  way,  miss,"  said  the 
boatswain,  as  he  reached  for  his  hat. 

*'  I  want  exercise,"  said  Chrissie ;  "  I  've  been  cooped  up 
long  enough." 

She  set  off  at  a  good  pace  up  the  High  Street,  attended 
by  her  faithful  follower,  and  passing  through  the  small 
suburbs,  struck  out  into  the  country  beyond.  After  four 
miles  the  boatswain,  who  was  no  walker,  reminded  her  that 
they  had  got  to  go  back. 

"Plenty  of  time,"  said  Chrissie,  "we  have  got  the  day 
before  us.  Isn't  it  glorious  ?  Do  you  see  that  milestone, 
Tucker?     I  '11  race  you  to  it ;  come  along." 

She  was  off  on  the  instant,  with  the  boatswain,  who 
suspected  treachery,  after  her. 

"  You  can  run,"  she  panted,  thoughtfully,  as  she  came  in 
second;  "well  have  another  one  presently.  You  don't 
know  how  good  it  is  for  you,  Tucker." 

The  boatswain  grinned  sourly  and  looked  at  her  from  the 
corner  of  his  eye.  The  next  three  miles  passed  like  a 
horrible  nightmare;  his  charge  making  a  race  for  every 
milestone,  in  which  the  labouring  boatswain,  despite  his 
want  of  practice,  came  in  the  winner.  The  fourth  ended 
disastrously,  Chrissie  limping  the  last  ten  yards,  and  seating 
herself  with  a  very  woebegone  face  on  the  stone  itself. 

"  You  did  very  well,  miss,"  said  the  boatswain,  who 
thought  he  could  afford  to  be  generous.  "  You  needn't  be 
offended  about  it." 

"It's  my  ankle,"  said  Chrissie  with  a  little  whimper. 
•*  Oh  !  I  twisted  it  right  round." 

The  boatswain  stood  regarding  her  in  silent  consternation 

"It's  no  use  looking  like  that,"  said  Chrissie  sharply, 


io6  MANY   CARGOES 

"  you  great  clumsy  thing.  If  you  hadn't  have  run  so  hard 
it  wouldn't  have  happened.     It's  all  your  fault." 

"  If  you  don't  mind  leaning  on  me  a  bit,"  said  Tucker, 
"  we  might  get  along." 

Chrissie  took  his  arm  petulantly,  and  they  started  on 
their  return  journey,  at  the  rate  of  about  four  hours  a  mile, 
with  little  cries  and  gasps  at  every  other  yard. 

"  It's  no  use,"  said  Chrissie  as  she  relinquished  his  arm, 
and,  limping  to  the  side  of  the  road,  sat  down.  The 
boatswain  pricked  up  his  ears  hopefully  at  the  sound  of 
approaching  wheels, 

"  What's  the  matter  with  the  young  lady  ? "  inquired  a 
groom  who  was  driving  a  little  trap,  as  he  pulled  up  and 
regarded  with  interest  a  grimace  of  extraordinary  inten- 
sity on  the  young  lady's  face. 

"  Broke  her  ankle,  I  think,"  said  the  boatswain  glibly. 
*'  Which  way  are  you  going  ? " 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  Barborough,"  said  the  groom ; 
"  but  my  guvnor's  rather  pertickler." 

"  I'll  make  it  all  right  with  youy"  said  the  boatswain. 

The  groom  hesitated  a  minute,  and  then  made  way  for 
Chrissie  as  the  boatswain  assisted  her  to  get  up  beside 
him  ;  then  Tucker,  with  a  grin  of  satisfaction  at  getting  a 
seat  once  more,  clambered  up  behind,  and  they  started. 

"  Have  a  rug,  mate,"  said  the  groom,  handing  the  reins 
to  Chrissie  and  passing  it  over  ;  "  put  it  round  your  knees 
and  tuck  the  ends  under  you." 

"  Ay,  ay,  mate,"  said  the  boatswain  as  he  obeyed  the 
instructions. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  are  quite  comfortable  ? "  said  the 
groom  affectionately. 

'*  Quite,"  said  the  other. 

The  groom  said  no  more,  but  in  a  quiet  business-like 
fashion  placed  his  hands  on  the  seaman's  broad  back,  and 


THE   BOATSWAIN'S  WATCH  107 

shot  him  out  into  the  road.  Then  he  snatched  up  the 
reins  and  drove  off  at  a  gallop. 

Without  the  faintest  hope  of  winning,  Mr.  Tucker,  who 
realised  clearly,  appearances  notwithstanding,  that  he  had 
fallen  into  a  trap,  rose  after  a  hurried  rest  and  started  on 
his  fifth  race  that  morning.  The  prize  was  only  a  second- 
rate  groom  with  plated  buttons,  who  was  waving  cheery 
farewells  to  him  with  a  dingy  top  hat;  but  the  boatswa'n 
would  have  sooner  had  it  than  a  silver  tea-service. 

He  ran  as  he  had  never  ran  before  in  his  life,  but  all  to 
no  purpose,  the  trap  stopping  calmly  a  little  further  on 
to  take  up  another  passenger,  in  whose  favour  the  groom 
retired  to  the  back  seat ;  then,  with  a  final  wave  of  the 
hand  to  him,  they  took  a  road  to  the  left  and  drove 
rapidly  out  of  sight.     The  boatswain's  watch  was  over. 


LOW   WATER 

IT  was  a  calm,  clear  evening  in  late  summer  as  the 
Elizabeth  Ann,  of  Pembray,  scorning  the  expensive 
aid  of  a  tug,  threaded  her  way  down  the  London  river 
under  canvas.  The  crew  were  busy  forward,  and  the  master 
and  part-owner — a  fussy  little  man,  deeply  imbued  with  a 
eense  of  his  own  importance  and  cleverness — was  at  the 
wheel  chatting  with  the  mate.  While  waiting  for  a  portion 
of  his  cargo,  he  had  passed  the  previous  week  pleasantly 
enough  with  some  relatives  in  Exeter,  and  was  now  in  a 
masterful  fashion  receiving  a  report  from  the  mate. 

"  There 's  one  other  thing,"  said  the  mate.  "  I  dessay 
you  Ve  noticed  how  sober  old  Dick  is  to-night." 

"  I  kept  him  short  o'  purpose,"  said  the  skipper,  with  a 
satisfied  air. 

"Tain't  that,"  said  the  mate.  "You'll  be  pleased  to 
hear  that  'im  an'  Sam  has  been  talked  over  by  the  other 
two,  and  that  all  your  crew  now,  'cept  the  cook,  who 's  still 
Roman  Catholic,  has  j'ined  the  Salvation  Army." 

"  Salvation  Army  1 "  repeated  the  skipper  in  dazed  tones. 
"  I  don't  want  none  o'  your  gammon.  Bob." 

*'  It 's  quite  right,"  said  the  other.  "  You  can  take  it 
from  me.  How  it  was  done  I  don't  know,  but  what  I  do 
know  is,  none  of  'em  has  touched  licker  for  five  days. 
They  've  all  got  red  jerseys,  an'  I  hear  as  old  Dick  preaches 
a  hexcellent  sermoa  He's  red-hot  on  it,  and  t'othera 
follow  'im  like  sheep." 

io8 


LOW  WATER  109 

"  The  drink  *s  got  to  his  brain,"  said  the  skipper  sagely, 
after  due  reflection.  "  Well,  I  don't  mind,  so  long  as  they 
behave  theirselves." 

He  kept  silence  until  Woolwich  was  passed,  and  they 
were  running  along  with  all  sails  set,  and  then,  his  curiosity 
being  somewhat  excited,  he  called  old  Dick  to  him,  with 
the  amiable  intention  of  a  little  banter. 

"What's  this  I  hear  about  you  j'ining  the  Salvation 
Army  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  It 's  quite  true,  sir,"  said  Dick.  "  I  feel  so  happy,  you 
can't  think — we  all  do." 

"  Glory ! "  said  one  of  the  other  men,  with  enthusiastic 
corroboraticHa. 

"  Seems  hke  the  measles,"  said  the  skipper  facetiously. 
"  Four  of  you  down  with  it  at  one  time  ! " 

"  It  is  like  the  measles,  sir,"  said  the  old  man  im- 
presMvely,  "an'  I  only  hope  as  you'll  catch  it  yourself, 
bad." 

"  Hallehijah  I "  bawled  the  other  man  suddenly.  "  He  'II 
catch  it" 

"  Hold  that  noise,  you,  Joe ! "  shouted  the  skipper 
sternly.     "  How  dare  you  make  that  noise  aboard  ship  ?  " 

"  He's  excited,  sir,"  said  Dick.  "  It 's  love  for  you  in  'is 
*eart  as  does  it" 

"Let  him  keep  his  love  to  hisself,"  said  the  skipper 
churlishly. 

"  Ah !  that 's  just  what  we  can't  do,"  said  Dick  in  high- 
pitched  tones,  which  the  skipper  rightly  concludsd  to  be 
his  preaching  voice.  "  We  can't  do  it — an'  why  can't  we 
do  it  ?  Becos  we  feel  good,  an'  we  want  you  to  feel  good 
too.     We  want  to  share  it  with  you.    Oh,  dear  friend  " 

"  That 's  enough,"  said  the  master  of  the  Elizabeth  Ann, 
^ijarply.  "  Don't  you  go  '  dear  friending '  me.  Go  for'ard  I 
Go  fcM^ard  at  once ! " 


no  MANY   CARGOES 

With  a  melancholy  shake  of  his  head  the  old  man  com- 
plied, and  the  startled  skipper  turned  to  the  mate,  who  was 
at  the  wheel,  and  expressed  his  firm  intention  of  at  once 
stopping  such  behaviour  on  his  ship. 

"  You  can't  do  it,"  said  the  mate  firmly. 

•'  Can't  do  it  ?  "  queried  the  skipper. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  the  other.  "  They  've  all  got  it 
bad,  an'  the  more  you  get  at  'em  the  wuss  they'll  be. 
Mark  my  words,  best  let  'em  alone." 

"  I  '11  hold  my  hand  a  bit  and  watch  'em,"  was  the  reply  j 
"  but  I  've  always  been  cap'n  on  my  own  ship,  and  I  always 
will." 

For  the  next  twenty-four  hours  he  retained  his  sovereignty 
undisputed,  but  on  Sunday  morning,  after  breakfast,  when 
he  was  at  the  wheel,  and  the  crew  below,  the  mate,  who  had 
been  forward,  came  aft  with  a  strange  grin  struggling  for 
development  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth. 

•'What's  the  matter?"  inquired  the  skipper,  regarding 
him  with  some  disfavour. 

"  They  're  all  down  below  with  their  red  jerseys  on,** 
replied  the  mate,  still  struggling,  "and  they're  holding  a 
sort  o'  consultation  about  the  lost  lamb,  an*  the  best  way  o' 
reaching  'is  'ard  'eart." 

"  Lost  lamb  ! "  repeated  the  skipper  unconcernedly,  but 
carefully  avoiding  the  other's  eye. 

•'  You  're  the  lost  lamb,"  said  the  mate,  who  always  went 
straight  to  the  point. 

"I  won't  have  it,"  said  the  skipper  excitably.  "How 
dare  they  go  on  in  this  way?  Go  and  send  'em  up 
directly" 

The  mate,  whistling  cheerily,  complied,  and  the  four  men, 
neatly  attired  in  scarlet,  came  on  deck. 

"  Now,  what 's  all  this  nonsense  about  ?  "  demanded  the 
Incensed  man.     "  What  do  you  want  ? " 


LOW  WATER  III 

"We  want  your  pore  sinful  soul,"  said  Dick  with  ecstasy. 

•*  Ay,  an'  we  '11  have  it,"  said  Joe,  with  deep  conviction. 

"So  we  will,"  said  the  other  two,  closing  their  eyes  and 
smiling  rapturously;  "so  we  will." 

The  skipper,  alarmed,  despite  himself,  at  their  confidence, 
turned  a  startled  face  to  the  mate. 

"  If  you  could  see  it  now,"  continued  Dick  impressively, 
"  you  'd  be  frightened  at  it.     If  you  could  " 

"Get  to  your  own  end  of  the  ship,"  spluttered  the 
indignant  skipper.     "  Get,  before  I  kick  you  there  ! " 

"  Better  let  Sam  have  a  try,"  said  one  of  the  other  men, 
calmly  ignoring  the  fury  of  the  master ;  "  his  efforts  have 
been  wonderfully  blessed.     Come  here,  Sam." 

"There's  a  time  for  everythink,"  said  Sam  cautiously. 
"Let's  go  for'ard  and  do  what  we  can  for  him  among 
ourselves." 

°3hey  moved  off  reluctantly,  Dick  throwing  such  affec- 
tionate glances  at  the  skipper  over  his  shoulders  that  he 
nearly  choked  with  rage. 

"  I  won't  have  it  1 "  he  said  fiercely ;  "  I  '11  knock  it  out 
of  'em." 

"  You  can't,"  said  the  mate.  "  You  can't  knock  sailor 
men  about  nowadays.  The  only  thing  you  can  do  is  to 
get  rid  of  'em." 

"I  don't  want  to  do  that,"  was  the  growling  reply. 
"They've  been  with  me  a  long  time,  and  they're  all 
good  men.  Why  don't  they  have  a  go  at  you,  I 
wonder  ?  " 

"  Me  ? "  said  the  mate,  in  indignant  surprise.  "  Why, 
I  'm  a  Seventh  Day  Baptist !  They  don't  want  to  waste 
their  time  over  me.     I  'm  all  right." 

"  You  're  a  pretty  Seventh  Day  Baptist,  you  are  I  "  replied 
the  skipper.     "  Fust  I  've  heard  of  it." 

"  You  don't  understand  about  such  things,"  said  the  mate. 


lit  MANY  CARGOES 

"It  must  be  a  very  easy  religion,"  continued  the 
skipper. 

"  I  don't  make  a  show  of  it,  if  that 's  what  you  mean," 
rejoined  the  other  warmly.  *'  I  'm  one  o'  them  as  believe 
in  'iding  my  light  under  a  bushel." 

"A  pint  pot 'ud  do  easy,"  sneered  the  skipper.  "It's 
more  in  your  line,  too." 

"  Anyway,  the  men  reckernise  it,"  said  the  mate  loftily. 
"  They  don't  go  an'  sit  in  their  red  jerseys  an'  hold  mothers* 
meetings  over  me." 

•'  I  '11  knock  their  blessed  heads  off ! "  growled  the 
skipper.     "  I  '11  learn  'em  to  insult  me  ! " 

•'  It 's  all  for  your  own  good,"  said  the  other.  "  They 
mean  it  kindly.     Well,  I  wish  'em  luck." 

With  these  hardy  words  he  retired,  leaving  a  seething 
volcano  to  pace  the  deck,  and  think  over  ways  and  means 
of  once  more  reducing  his  crew  to  what  he  considered  a  fit 
and  proper  state  of  obedience  and  respect. 

The  climax  was  reached  at  tea-time,  when  an  anonymous 
hand  was  thrust  beneath  the  skylight,  and  a  full-bodied 
tract  fluttered  wildly  down  and  upset  his  tea. 

"  That 's  the  last  straw  ! "  he  roared,  fishing  out  the  tract 
and  throwing  it  on  the  floor.  "I'll  read  them  chaps  a 
lesson  they  won't  forget  in  a  hurry,  and  put  a  little  money 
in  my  pocket  at  the  same  time.  I  've  got  a  little  plan  in 
my  'ed  as  come  to  me  quite  sudden  this  afternoon.  Come 
on  deck.  Bob." 

Bob  obeyed,  grinning,  and  the  skipper,  taking  the  wheel 
from  Sam,  sent  him  for  the  others. 

"  Did  you  ever  know  me  break  my  word,  Dick  ? "  he 
inquired  abruptly,  as  they  shuffled  up. 

"  Never,"  said  Dick. 

"Cap'n  Bowers'  word  is  better  than  another  man's  oath," 
asseverated  Joe. 


LOW  WATER  113 

*'  Well,"  said  Captain  Bowers,  with  a  wink  at  the  mate, 
*'  I  'm  going  to  give  you  chaps  a  little  self  denial  week  all  to 
yourselves.  If  you  all  live  on  biscuit  and  water  till  we  get 
to  port,  and  don't  touch  nothing  else,  I  '11  jine  you  and 
become  a  Salvationist," 

"Biscuit  and  water,"  said  Dick  doubtfully,  scratching  a 
beard  strong  enough  to  scratch  back. 

"  It  wouldn't  be  right  to  play  with  our  constitooshuns  in 
that  way,  sir,"  objected  Joe,  shaking  his  head. 

"  There  you  are,"  said  Bowers,  turning  to  the  mate  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand.  "  They  're  precious  anxious  about  me 
so  long  as  it's  confined  to  jawing,  and  dropping  tracts  into 
my  tea,  but  when  it  comes  to  a  little  hardship  on  their  part, 
see  how  they  back  out  of  it." 

*'  We  ain't  backing  out  of  it,"  said  Dick  cautiously ; 
"  but  s'pose  we  do,  how  are  we  to  be  certain  as  you  '11  jine 
us?" 

"  You  've  got  my  word  for  it,"  said  the  other,  "  an'  the 
mate  an'  cook  witness  it." 

*'  O'  course,  you  jine  the  Army  for  good,  sir,"  said  Dick, 
still  doubtfully. 

"  O'  course." 

"  Then  it 's  a  bargain,  sir,'  said  Dick,  beaming ;  "  ain't 
it,  chaps  ?  " 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  others,  but  not  beaming  quite  so  much. 

"  Oh,  what  a  joyful  day  this  is  ! "  said  the  old  man.  "  A 
Salvation  crew  an'  a  Salvation  cap'n  1  We  '11  have  the  cook 
next,  bad  as  he  is." 

"You'll  have  biskit  an'  water,"  said  the  cook  icily,  as 
they  moved  off,  "  an'  nothing  else,  I  '11  take  care." 

"They  must  be  uncommon  fond  o'  me,"  said  the 
skipper  meditatively. 

"  Uncommon  fond  o'  having  their  own  way,"  growled  th« 
mate.     "  Nice  thing  you  've  let  yourself  in  for." 

I 


114  MANY  CARGOES 

"I  know  what  I  'm  about,"  was  the  confident  reply. 

"You  ain't  going  to  let  them  idiots  fast  for  a  week  an' 
then  break  your  word  ?  "  said  the  mate  in  surprise. 

*'  Certainly  not,"  said  the  other  wrathfuUy ;  "  I  'd  sooner 
jine  three  armies  than  do  that,  and  you  know  it." 

"They'll  keep  to  the  grub,  don't  you  fear,"  said  the 
mate.  "  I  can't  understand  how  you  are  going  to 
manage  it." 

"  That 's  where  the  brains  come  in,"  retorted  the  skipper, 
somewhat  arrogantly. 

"  Fust  time  I  've  heard  of  'em,"  murmured  the  mate 
softly ;  "  but  I  s'pose  you  've  been  using  pint  pots  too." 

The  skipper  glared  at  him  scornfully,  but,  being  un- 
provided with  a  retort,  forbore  to  reply,  and  going  below 
again  mixed  himself  a  stiff  glass  of  grog,  and  drank  success 
to  his  scheme. 

Three  days  passed,  and  the  men  stood  firm,  and, 
realising  that  they  were  slowly  undermining  the  skipper's 
convictions,  made  no  eflfort  to  carry  him  by  direct  assault. 
The  mate  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  his  opinion  of  his 
superior's  peril,  and  in  gloomy  terms  strove  to  put  the 
full  horror  of  his  position  before  him. 

"  What  your  missis  '11  say  the  first  time  she  sees  you 
prancing  up  an'  down  the  road  tapping  a  tambourine,  I 
can't  think,"  said  he. 

"I  shan't  have  no  tambourine,"  said  Captain  Bowers 
cheerfully. 

"  It  '11  also  be  your  painful  dooty  to  stand  outside  your 
father-in-law's  pub  and  try  and  persuade  customers  not  to 
go  in,"  continued  Bob.  "  Nice  thing  that  for  a  quiet 
family  ! " 

The  skipper  smiled  knowingly,  and,  rolling  a  cigar  in  his 
mouth,  leaned  back  in  his  seat  and  cocked  his  eye  at  the 
■kylight 


LOW  WATER  I  If 

"  Don't  you  worry,  my  lad,"  said  he ;  "  don't  you  worry. 
I  'm  in  this  job,  an*  I  'm  coming  out  on  top.  When  men 
forget  what's  due  to  their  betters,  and  preach  to  'em, 
they  've  got  to  be  taught  what 's  what  If  the  wind  keeps 
fair  we  ought  to  be  home  by  Sunday  night  or  Monday 
morning." 

The  other  nodded. 

"  Now,  you  keep  your  eyes  open,"  said  the  skipper ;  and, 
going  to  his  state-room,  he  returned  with  three  bottles  of 
rum  and  a  corkscrew,  all  of  which,  with  an  air  of  great 
mystery,  he  placed  on  the  table,  and  then  smiled  at  the 
mate.     The  mate  smiled  too. 

*'  What 's  this  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper,  drawing  the  cork, 
and  holding  a  bottle  under  the  other's  nose. 

"It  smells  like  rum,"  said  the  mate,  glancing  round, 
possibly  for  a  glass. 

"  It 's  for  the  men,"  said  the  skipper,  "  but  you  may  take 
a  drop." 

The  mate,  taking  down  a  glass,  helped  himself  liberally, 
and,  having  made  sure  of  it,  sympathetically,  but  politely, 
expressed  his  firm  opinion  that  the  men  would  not  touch  it 
under  any  conditions  whatever. 

•'  You  don't  quite  understand  how  firm  they  are,"  said 
he ;  "  you  think  it 's  just  a  new  fad  with  'em,  but  it  ain't." 

"  They  '11  drink  it,"  said  the  skipper,  taking  up  two  of 
the  bottles.     "Bring  the  other  on  deck  for  me." 

The  mate  complied,  wonderingly,  and,  laden  with  prime 
old  Jamaica,  ascended  the  steps. 

"What's  this?"  inquired  the  skipper,  crossing  over  to 
Dick,  and  holding  out  a  bottle. 

"  Pison,  sir,"  said  Dick  promptly. 

"  Have  a  drop,"  said  the  skipper  jovially. 

"  Not  for  twenty  pounds,"  said  the  old  man,  with  a  look 
of  honor. 


ii6  MANY  CARGOES 

"  Not  for  two  million  pounds,"  said  Sam,  with  financial 
precision. 

"  Will  anybody  have  a  drop?"  asked  the  owner,  waving 
the  bottle  to  and  fro. 

As  he  spoke  a  grimy  paw  shot  out  from  behind  him, 
and,  before  he  quite  realised  the  situation,  the  cook  had 
accepted  the  invitation,  and  was  hurriedly  making  the 
most  of  it. 

"Not  you,"  growled  the  skipper,  snatching  the  bottle 
from  him;  "I  didn't  mean  you.  Well,  my  lads,  if  you 
won't  have  it  neat  you  shall  have  it  watered." 

Before  anybody  could  guess  his  intention  he  walked  to 
the  water-cask,  and,  removing  the  cover,  poured  in  the  rum. 
In  the  midst  of  a  profound  silence  he  emptied  the  three 
bottles,  and  then,  with  a  triumphant  smile,  turned  and 
confronted  his  astonished  crew. 

"  What 's  in  that  cask,  Dick  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 
"Rum  and  water,"  groaned  Dick;  "but  that  ain't  fair 
play,  sir.     We  've  kep'  to  our  part  o'  the  agreement,  sir,  an' 
you  ought  to  ha'  kep'  to  yours." 

"So  I  have,"  was  the  quick  reply;  "so  I  have,  an'  I  still 
keep  to  it.  Don't  you  see  this,  my  lads ;  when  you  start 
playing  antics  with  me  you're  playing  a  fool's  game,  an' 
you're  bound  to  come  a  cropper.  Some  men  would  ha' 
waited  longer  afore  they  spiled  their  game,  but  I  think 
you  've  suffered  enough.  Now  there 's  a  lump  of  beef  and 
some  taters  on,  an'  you'd  better  go  and  make  a  good  square 
meal,  an'  next  time  you  want  to  alter  the  religion  of  people 
as  knows  better  than  you  do,  think  twice." 

"  We  don't  want  no  beef,  sir ;  biskit  '11  do  for  us,"  said 
Dick  firmly. 

"All  right,  please  yourselves,"  said  the  skipper;  "but 
mind,  no  hanky-panky,  no  coming  for  drink  when  my 
back's  turned;  this  cask '11  be  watched;  but  if  you  do 


LOW  WATER  117 

alter  your  mind  about  the  beef  you  can  tell  the  cook  to  get 

it  for  you  any  time  you  like." 

He  threw  the  bottles  overboard,  and,  ignoring  the 
groaning  and  head-shaking  of  the  men,  walked  away, 
listening  with  avidity  to  the  respectful  tributes  to  his  genius 
tendered  by  the  mate  and  cook — flattery  so  delicate  and  so 
genuine  withal  that  he  opened  another  bottle. 

"There's  just  one  thing,"  said  the  mate  presently; 
"won't  the  rum  affect  the  cooking  a  good  deal?" 

"  I  never  thought  o'  that,"  admitted  the  skipper ;  "  stiH, 
we  musn't  expect  to  have  everything  our  own  way." 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  mate  blankly,  admiring  the  other's 
choice  of  pronouns. 

Up  to  Friday  afternoon  the  skipper  went  about  with  a 
smile  of  kindly  satisfaction  on  his  face ;  but  in  the  evening 
it  weakened  somewhat,  and  by  Saturday  morning  it  had 
vanished  altogether,  and  was  replaced  by  an  expression  of 
blank  amazement  and  anxiety,  for  the  crew  shunned  the 
water-cask  as  though  it  were  poison,  without  appearing  to 
suffer  the  slightest  inconvenience.  A  visible  air  of  pro- 
prietorship appeared  on  their  faces  whenever  they  looked 
at  the  skipper,  and  the  now  frightened  man  inveighed 
fiercely  to  the  mate  against  the  improper  methods  of 
conversion  patronised  by  some  religious  bodies,  and  the 
aggravating  obstinacy  of  some  of  their  followers. 

"  It 's  wonderful  what  enthusiasm  '11  do  for  a  man,"  said 
Bob  reflectively ;  "  I  knew  a  man  once  " 

"  I  don't  want  none  o'  your  lies,"  interposed  the  other 
rudely. 

"An'  I  don't  want  your  blamed  rum  and  water,  if  it 
comes  to  that,"  said  the  mate,  firing  up.  "  When  a  man's 
tea  is  made  with  rum,  an'  his  beef  is  biled  in  it,  he  begins 
to  wonder  whether  he's  shipped  with  a  seaman  or  a — • 
a" 


Il8  MANY   CARGOES 

"  A  what  ?  "  shouted  the  skipper.     "  Say  it ! " 

"  I  can't  think  o'  nothing  foolish  enough,"  was  the  frank 
reply.  "  It 's  all  right  for  you,  becos  it 's  the  last  licker  as 
you  '11  be  allowed  to  taste,  but  it 's  rough  on  me  and  the 
cook." 

"  Damn  you  an'  the  cook,"  said  the  skipper,  and  went 
on  deck  to  see  whether  the  men's  tongues  were  hanging 
out. 

By  Sunday  morning  he  was  frantic ;  the  men  were  hale 
and  well  enough,  though,  perhaps,  a  trifle  thin,  and  he 
began  to  believe  with  the  cook  that  the  age  of  miracles  had 
not  yet  passed. 

It  was  a  broiling  hot  day,  and,  to  add  to  his  discomfort, 
the  mate,  who  was  consumed  by  a  raging  thirst,  lay  panting 
in  the  shade  of  the  mainsail,  exchanging  condolences  of  a 
most  offensive  nature  with  the  cook  every  time  he  looked 
his  way. 

All  the  morning  he  grumbled  incessantly,  until  at  length, 
warned  by  an  offensive  smell  of  rum  that  dinner  was  on 
the  table,  he  got  up  and  went  below. 

At  the  foot  of  the  ladder  he  paused  abruptly,  for  the 
skipper  was  leaning  back  in  his  seat,  gazing  in  a  fascinated 
manner  at  some  object  on  the  table. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  the  mate  in  alarm. 

The  other,  who  did  not  appear  to  hear  the  question, 
made  no  answer,  but  continued  to  stare  in  a  most  extra- 
ordinary fashion  at  a  bottle  which  graced  the  centre  of  the 
table. 

'*  What  is  it  ? "  inquired  the  mate,  not  venturing  to  trust 
eyes     "  Water i    Where  did  it  come  from?" 

"  Cook  ! "  roared  the  skipper,  turning  a  bloodshot  eye  on 
that  worthy,  as  his  pallid  face  showed  behind  the  mate, 
•'  what 's  this  ?     If  you  say  it 's  water  I  '11  kill  you." 

*'  I  don't  know  what  it  is,  sir,"  said  the  cook  cautiously ; 


LOW   WATER  119 

•*  but  Dick  sent  it  to  you  with  his  best  respects,  and  I  was 
to  say  as  there  's  plenty  more  where  that  came  from.  He 's 
a  nasty,  under'anded,  deceitful  old  man,  is  Dick,  sir,  an'  it 
seems  he  laid  in  a  stock  o'  water  in  bottles  an'  the  like 
afore  you  doctored  the  cask,  an'  the  men  have  had  it 
locked  up  in  their  chests  ever  since." 

"  Dick 's  a  very  clever  old  man,"  remarked  the  mate, 
pouring  himself  out  a  glass,  and  drinking  it  with  infinite, 
relish,  "ain't  he,  cap'n?  It'll  be  a  privilege  to  jine 
anything  that  man  's  connected  with,  won't  it  ? " 

He  paused  for  a  reply,  but  none  came,  for  the  cap'n, 
with  dim  eyes,  was  staring  blankly  into  a  future  so  lonely 
and  uncongenial  that  he  had  lost  the  power  of  speech — 
even  of  that  which,  at  other  crises,  had  never  failed  to 
afford  him  relief.  The  mate  gazed  at  him  curiously  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  imitating  the  example  of  the  cook, 
quitted  the  cabin. 


IN   MID-ATLANTIC 

••  '^  T  O,  sir,"  said  the  night-watchman,  as  he  took  a 
1  ^  seat  on  a  post  at  the  end  of  the  jetty,  and  stowed 
a  huge  piece  of  tobacco  in  his  cheek.  "No,  man  an' 
boy,  I  was  at  sea  forty  years  afore  I  took  on  this  job, 
but  I  can't  say  as  ever  I   saw  a  real,  downright  ghost." 

This  was  disappointing,  and  I  said  so.  Previous  experi- 
ence of  the  power  of  Bill's  vision  had  led  me  to  expect 
something  very  different. 

"  Not  but  what  I  've  known  some  queer  things  happen," 
said  Bill,  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  Surrey  side,  and  going 
off  into  a  kind  of  trance.     "Queer  things." 

I  waited  patiently;  Bill's  eyes,  after  resting  for  some 
time  on  Surrey,  began  to  slowly  cross  the  river,  paused 
midway  in  reasonable  hopes  of  a  collision  between  a  tug 
with  its  flotilla  of  barges  and  a  penny  steamer,  and  then 
came  back  to  me. 

"You  heard  that  yam  old  Cap'n  Harris  was  telling 
the  other  day  about  the  skipper  he  knew  having  a  warn- 
ing one  night  to  alter  his  course,  an'  doing  so,  picked 
up  five  live  men  and  three  dead  skeletons  in  a  open 
boat  ?  "  he  inquired. 

I  nodded. 

*'  The  yam  in  various  forms  is  an  old  one,"  said  I, 

"It's  all  founded  on  something  I  told  him  once," 
said  Bill.  "  I  don't  wish  to  accuse  Cap'n  Harris  of  taking 
another  man's  true  story  an'  spoiling  it;  he's  got  a  bad 

lao 


IN   MID-ATLANTIC  ill 

memory,  that 's  all.     Fust  of  all,  he  forgets  he  ever  heard 
the  yam;  secondly,  he  goes  and  spoils  it." 

I  gave  a  sympathetic  murmur.  Harris  was  as  truthful  an 
old  man  as  ever  breathed,  but  his  tales  were  terribly 
restricted  by  this  circumstance,  whereas  BUl's  were  limited 
by  nothing  but  his  own  imagination. 

*•  It  was  about  fifteen  years  ago  now,"  began  Bill,  getting 
the  quid  into  a  bye-way  of  his  cheek,  where  it  would  not 
impede  his  utterance  "  I  was  A.  B.  on  the  Swallow,  a  barque, 
trading  wherever  we  could  pick  up  stuff".  On  this  v'y'ge  we 
was  bound  from  London  to  Jamaica  with  a  general  cargo. 

"  The  start  of  that  v'y'ge  was  excellent.  We  was  towed 
out  of  the  St.  Katherine's  Docks  here,  to  the  Nore,  an'  the 
tug  left  us  to  a  stiff"  breeze,  which  fairly  raced  us  down 
Channel  and  out  into  the  Atlantic.  Everybody  was  saying 
what  a  fine  v'y'ge  we  was  having,  an'  what  quick  time 
we  should  make,  an'  the  fust  mate  was  in  such  a  lovely 
temper  that  you  might  do  anything  with  him  a'most. 

"We  was  about  ten  days  out,  an'  still  slipping  along 
in  this  spanking  way,  when  all  of  a  sudden  things  changed. 
I  was  at  the  wheel  with  the  second  mate  one  night,  when 
the  skipper,  whose  name  was  Brown,  came  up  from  below 
in  a  uneasy  sort  o'  fashion,  and  stood  looking  at  us  for 
some  time  without  speaking.  Then  at  last  he  sort  o'  makes 
up  his  mind,  and  ses  he — 

'"Mr.    McMillan,    I've  just   had   a    most   remarkable 
experience,  an'  I  don't  know  what  to  do  about  it.' 
"  '  Yes,  sir  ?  '  ses  Mr.  McMillan. 

"  '  Three  times  I  've  been  woke  up  this  night  by  some* 
thing  shouting  in  my  ear,  "Steer  nor'-nor'-west ! " '  ses 
the  cap'n  very  solemnly,  '  "  Steer  nor'-nor'-west ! "  that  '5  all 
it  says.  The  first  time  I  thought  it  was  somebody  got  into 
my  cabin  skylarking,  and  I  laid  for  'em  with  a  sticV  but 
I  've  heaid  it  three  times,  an'  there 's  nothing  there,* 


isi  MANY  CARGOES 

"  '  It 's  a  supernatural  warning,'  ses  the  second  mate,  who 
had  a  great  uncle  once  who  had  the  second  sight,  and  was 
the  most  unpopular  man  of  his  family,  because  he  always 
knew  what  to  expect,  and  laid  his  plans  according. 

" '  That 's  what  I  think,'  ses  the  cap'n.  *  There 's  some 
poor  shipwrecked  fellow  creatures  in  distress.' 

"  '  It's  a  verra  grave  responsebeelity,'  ses  Mr.  McMillan 
•I  should  just  ca'  up  the  fairst  mate.' 

"'Bill,'  ses  the  cap'n,  'just  go  down  below,  and  tell  Mr. 
Salmon  I  'd  like  a  few  words  with  him  partikler.' 

"  Well,  I  went  down  below,  and  called  up  the  first  mate, 
and  as  soon  as  I  'd  explained  to  him  what  he  was  wanted 
for,  he  went  right  off  into  a  fit  of  outrageous  bad  language, 
an'  hit  me.  He  came  right  up  on  deck  in  his  pants  an' 
socks.  A  most  disrespekful  way  to  come  to  the  cap'n,  but 
he  was  that  hot  and  excited  he  didn't  care  what  he  did. 

*"Mr.  Salmon,'  ses  the  cap'n  gravely,  'I've  just  had 
a  most  solemn  warning,  and  I  want  to' 

"  •  I  know,'  says  the  mate  gruffly. 

"  •  What !  have  you  heard  it  too  ? '  ses  the  cap'n,  in 
surprise.     '  Three  times  ? ' 

"  I  heard  it  from  him,'  ses  the  mate,  pointing  to  me. 
'Nightmare,  sir,  nightmare.' 

"'It  was  not  nightmare,  sir,'  ses  the  cap'n,  very  huffy, 
*  an  if  I  hear  it  again,  I'm  going  to  alter  this  ship's 
course.' 

"  Well,  the  fust  mate  was  in  a  hole.  He  wanted  to  call 
the  skipper  something  which  he  knew  wasn't  discipline.  I 
knew  what  it  was,  an'  I  knew  if  the  mate  didn't  do  some- 
thing he  'd  be  ill,  he  was  that  sort  of  man,  everything  flew  to 
his  head.  He  walked  away,  and  put  his  head  over  the  side 
for  a  bit,  an'  at  last,  when  he  came  back,  he  was,  compara- 
tively speaking,  calm. 

•' '  You  mustn't  hear  them   words  again,  sir,'  ses  he ; 


IN   MID-ATLANTIC  is) 

'don't  go  to  sleep  again  to-night.  Stay  up,  an'  we  11  have  a 
hand  o'  cards,  and  in  the  morning  you  take  a  good  stiff 
dose  o'  rhoobarb.  Don't  spoil  one  o'  the  best  trips  we  've 
ever  had  for  the  sake  of  a  pennyworth  of  rhoobarb,'  ses  be, 
pleading-like. 

" '  Mr,  Salmon,'  ses  the  cap'n,  very  angry,  *  I  shall  not  fly 
in  the  face  o'  Providence  in  any  such  way.  I  shall  sleep  as 
usual,  an'  as  for  your  rhoobarb,'  ses  the  cap'n,  working 
hisself  up  into  a  passion — •  damme,  sir,  I  '11 — I  '11  dose  the 
whole  crew  with  it,  from  first  mate  to  cabin-boy,  if  I  have 
any  impertinence.' 

"Well,  Mr.  Salmon,  who  was  getting  very  mad,  stalks 
down  below,  followed  by  the  cap'n,  an'  Mr.  McMillan  was 
that  excited  that  he  even  started  talking  to  me  about  it. 
Half-an-hour  arterwards  the  cap'n  comes  running  up  on 
deck  again. 

"'Mr.  McMillan,'  ses  he  excitedly,  'steer  nor'-nor'- 
west  until  further  orders.  I've  heard  it  again,  an'  this 
time  it  nearly  split  the  drum  of  my  ear.' 

"The  ship's  course  was  altered,  an'  after  the  old  man 
was  satisfied  he  went  back  to  bed  again,  an'  almost 
directly  arter  eight  bells  went,  an'  I  was  relieved.  I  wasn't 
on  deck  when  the  fust  mate  come  up,  but  those  that  were 
said  he  took  it  very  calm.  He  didn't  say  a  word.  He  just 
sat  down  on  the  poop,  and  blew  his  cheeks  out. 

"As  soon  as  ever  it  was  daylight  the  skipper  was  on 
deck  with  his  glasses.  He  sent  men  up  to  the  masthead  to 
keep  a  good  look-out,  an'  he  was  dancing  about  like  a  cast 
on  hot  bricks  all  the  morning. 

" '  How  long  are  we  to  go  on  this  course,  sir  ?  *  asks  Mr. 
Salmon,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  *  I  've  not  made  up  my  mind,  sir,'  ses  the  cap'n, 
very  stately ;  but  I  could  see  he  was  looking  a  trifla 
foolish. 


IS4  MANY   CARGOES 

"  At  twelve  o'clock  in  the  day,  the  fust  mate  got  a  cough, 
and  every  time  he  coughed  it  seemed  to  act  upon  the 
skipper,  and  make  him  madder  and  madder.  Now  that  it 
was  broad  daylight,  Mr.  McMillan  didn't  seem  to  be  so 
creepy  as  the  night  before,  an'  I  could  see  the  cap'n  was 
only  waiting  for  the  slightest  excuse  to  get  into  our  propel 
course  again. 

** '  That 's  a  nasty,  bad  cough  o'  yours,  Mr.  Salmon,'  sea 
he,  eyeing  the  mate  very  hard. 

•"Yes,  a  nasty,  irritating  sort  o'  cough,  sir,'  ses  the  other; 
*it  worries  me  a  great  deal.  It's  this  going  up  nor'ards 
what 's  sticking  in  my  throat,'  ses  he. 

"  The  cap'n  give  a  gulp,  and  walked  off,  but  he  comes 
back  in  a  minute,  and  ses  he — 

"  '  Mr.  Salmon,  I  should  think  it  a  great  pity  to  lose 
a  valuable  officer  like  yourself,  even  to  do  good  to  others. 
There's  a  hard  ring  about  that  cough  I  don't  like,  an' 
if  you  really  think  it 's  going  up  this  bit  north,  why,  I  don't 
mind  putting  the  ship  in  her  course  again.' 

"Well,  the  mate  thanked  him  kindly,  and  he  was  just 
about  to  give  the  orders  when  one  o*  the  men  who  was  at 
the  masthead  suddenly  shouts  out — 

"  •  Ahoy  !     Small  boat  on  the  port  bow  ! ' 

"  The  cap'n  started  as  if  he  'd  been  shot,  and  ran  up  the 
rigging  with  his  glasses.  He  came  down  again  almost 
direckly,  and  his  face  was  all  in  a  glow  with  pleasure 
and  excitement. 

" '  Mr.  Salmon,'  ses  he,  '  here 's  a  small  boat  with  a  lug 
sail  in  the  middle  o'  the  Atlantic,  with  one  pore  man  lying  m 
the  bottom  of  her.    What  do  you  think  o'  my  warning  now  ?' 

"  The  mate  didn't  say  anything  at  first  but  he  took  the 
glasses  and  had  a  look,  an'  when  he  came  back  anyone 
could  see  his  opinion  of  the  skipper  had  gone  up  miles  and 
juiles. 


IN  MID-ATLANTIC  1*5 

"'It's  a  wonderful  thing,  sir,'  ses  he,  'and  one  I'll 
remember  all  my  life.  It's  evident  that  you've  been 
picked  out  as  a  instrument  to  do  this  good  work.* 

"  I  'd  never  heard  the  fust  mate  talk  like  that  afore,  'cept 
once  when  he  fell  overboard,  when  he  was  full,  and  stuck 
in  the  Thames  mud.  He  said  it  was  Providence ;  though, 
as  it  was  low  water,  according  to  the  tide-table,  I  couldn't 
see  what  Providence  had  to  do  with  it  myself.  He  was  as 
excited  as  anybody,  and  took  the  wheel  himself,  and  put 
the  ship's  head  for  the  boat,  and  as  she  came  closer,  our 
boat  was  slung  out,  and  me  and  the  second  mate  and  three 
other  men  dropped  into  her,  an'  pulled  so  as  to  meet  the 
other. 

" '  Never  mind  the  boat ;  we  don't  want  to  be  bothered 
with  her,'  shouts  out  the  cap'n  as  we  pulled  away — '  Save 
the  man ! ' 

"I'll  say  this  for  Mr.  McMillan,  he  steered  that  boat 
beautifully,  and  we  ran  alongside  o'  the  other  as  clever  as 
possible.  Two  of  us  shipped  our  oars,  and  gripped  her 
tight,  and  then  we  saw  that  she  was  just  an  ordinary  boat, 
partly  decked  in,  with  the  head  and  shoulders  of  a  man 
showing  in  the  opening,  fast  asleep,  and  snoring  like 
thunder. 

•"Puir  chap,*  ses  Mr.  McMillan,  standing  up.  'Look 
how  wasted  he  is.' 

"  He  laid  hold  o'  the  man  by  the  neck  of  his  coat  an' 
his  belt,  an',  being  a  very  powerful  man,  dragged  him  up  and 
swung  him  into  our  boat,  which  was  bobbing  up  and  down, 
and  grating  against  the  side  of  the  other.  We  let  go  then, 
an'  the  man  we  'd  rescued  opened  his  eyes  as  Mr.  McMillan 
tumbled  over  one  of  the  thwarts  with  him,  and,  letting  off  a 
roar  like  a  bull,  tried  to  jump  back  into  his  boat. 

"  •  Hold  him  ! '  shouted  the  second  mate.  '  Hold  him 
tight  I    He 's  mad,  puir  fcilei.' 


1x6  MANY  CARGOES 

"By  the  way  that  man  fought  and  yelledj  we  thought 
the  mate  was  right,  too.  He  was  a  short,  stiff  chap,  hard 
as  iron,  and  he  bit  and  kicked  and  swore  for  all  he  was 
worth,  until  at  last  we  tripped  him  up  and  tumbled  hira 
into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  held  him  there  with  his 
head  hanging  back  over  a  thwart 

'"It's  all  right,  my  puir  feller,'  ses  the  second  mate; 
'  ye  're  in  good  hands — ye  're  saved.' 

"  '  Damme  ! '  ses  the  man  ;  '  what 's  your  little  game  ? 
Where 's  my  boat — eh  ?     Where 's  my  boat  ? ' 

"  He  wriggled  a  bit,  and  got  his  head  up,  and,  when  he 
saw  it  bowling  along  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away,  his 
temper  got  the  better  of  him,  and  he  swore  that  if  Mr. 
McMillan  didn't  row  after  it  he  'd  knife  him. 

"  '  We  can't  bother  about  the  boat,'  ses  the  mate ;  *  we  've 
had  enough  bother  to  rescue  you.' 

" '  Who  the  devil  wanted  you  to  rescue  me  ? '  bellowed 
the  man.  'I'll  make  you  pay  for  this,  you  miserable 
swabs.     If  there 's  any  law  in  Amurrica,  you  shall  have  it ! ' 

"  By  this  time  we  had  got  to  the  ship,  which  had 
shortened  sail,  and  the  cap'n  was  standing  by  the  side, 
looking  down  upon  the  stranger  with  a  big,  kind  smile 
which  nearly  sent  him  crazy. 

" '  Welcome  aboard,  my  pore  feller,'  ses  he,  holding  out 
his  hand  as  the  chap  got  up  the  side. 

'"Are  you  the  author  of  this  outrage?'  ses  the  man 
fiercely. 

" '  I  don't  understand  you,'  ses  the  cap'n,  very  dignified, 
and  drawing  himself  up. 

"  '  Did  you  send  your  chaps  to  sneak  me  out  o'  my  boat 
while  I  was  having  forty  winks  ? '  roars  the  other 
*  Damme  !  that 's  English,  ain't  it  ?  * 

" '  Surely,'  ses  the  cap'n,  '  surely  you  didn't  wish  to  be 
left  to  perish  in  that  little  craft.     I   had  a  supernatural 


IN   MID-ATLANTIC  127 

warning  to  steer  this  course  on  purpose  to  pick  you  up,  and 
this  is  your  gratitude.' 

"  '  Look  here  ! '  ses  the  other.  •  My  name 's  Cap'n 
Naskett,  and  I'm  doing  a  record  trip  from  New  York  to 
Liverpool  in  the  smallest  boat  that  has  ever  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  an'  you  go  an'  bust  everything  with  your  cussed 
officiousness.  If  you  think  I  'm  going  to  be  kidnapped  just 
to  fulfil  your  beastly  warnings,  you've  made  a  mistake. 
I  '11  have  the  law  on  you,  that 's  what  I  '11  do.  Kid- 
napping 's  a  punishable  offence.' 

"  *  What  did  you  come  here  for,  then  ? '  ses  the  cap'n. 

"  '  Come  ! '  howls  Cap'n  Naskett.  '  Come  !  A  feller 
sneaks  up  alongside  o'  me  with  a  boat-load  of  street- 
sweepings  dressed  as  sailors,  and  snaps  me  up  while  I  'm 
asleep,  and  you  ask  me  what  I  come  for.  Look  here. 
You  clap  on  all  sail  and  catch  that  boat  o'  mine,  and  put 
me  back,  and  I  '11  call  it  quits.  If  you  don't,  I  '11  bring  a 
law-suit  agin  you,  and  make  you  the  laughing-stock  of  two 
continents  into  the  bargain.' 

"Well,  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain,  the  cap'n 
sailed  after  the  cussed  little  boat,  and  Mr.  Salmon,  who 
thought  more  than  enough  time  had  been  lost  already,  fell 
foul  o'  Cap'n  Naskett.  They  was  both  pretty  talkers,  and 
the  way  they  went  on  was  a  education  for  every  sailorman 
afloat.  Every  man  aboard  got  as  near  as  they  durst  to 
listen  to  them ;  but  I  must  say  Cap'n  Naskett  had  the  best 
of  it.  He  was  a  sarkastik  man,  and  pretended  to  think  the 
ship  was  fitted  out  just  to  pick  up  shipwrecked  people,  an' 
he  also  pretended  to  think  we  was  castaways  what  had  been 
saved  by  it.  He  said  o'  course  anybody  could  see  at  a 
glance  we  wasn't  sailormen,  an'  he  supposed  Mr.  Salmon 
was  a  butcher  what  had  been  carried  out  to  sea  while 
paddling  at  Margate  to  strengthen  his  ankles.  He  said  a 
lot  more  of  this  sort  of  thing,  and  all  this  time  we  wata 


1x8  MANY   CARGOES 

chasing  his  miserable  little  boat,  an'  he  was  admiring  the 
way  she  sailed,  while  the  fust  mate  was  answering  his 
reflexshuns,  an'  I'm  sure  that  not  even  our  skipper  was 
more  pleased  than  Mr.  Salmon  when  we  caught  it  at  last, 
and  shoved  him  back.  He  was  ungrateful  up  to  the  last, 
an',  just  before  leaving  the  ship,  actually  went  up  to  Cap'n 
Brown,  and  advised  him  to  shut  his  eyes  an'  turn  round 
three  times  and  catch  what  he  could. 

*'  I  never  saw  the  skipper  so  upset  afore,  but  I  heard  hira 
tell  Mr.  McMillan  that  night  that  if  he  ever  went  out  of  his 
way  again  after  a  craft,  it  would  only  be  to  run  it  down. 
Most  people  keep  pretty  quiet  about  supernatural  things  that 
happen  to  them,  but  he  was  about  the  quietest  I  ever 
heard  of,  an',  what's  more,  he  made  everyone  else  keep 
quiet  about  it,  too.  Even  when  he  had  to  steer  nor'-nor'- 
west  arter  that  in  the  way  o'  business  he  didn't  like  it,  an' 
he  was  about  the  most  cruelly  disappointed  man  you  ever 
saw  when  he  heard  afterwards  that  Cap'n  Naskett  got  safe 
to  Liverpool" 


AFTER  THE   INQUEST 

IT  was  a  still  fair  evening  in  late  summer  in  the  parish 
of  Wapping.  The  hands  had  long  since  left,  and  the 
night  watchman  having  abandoned  his  trust  in  favour  of 
a  neighbouring  bar,  the  wharf  was  deserted. 

An  elderly  seaman  came  to  the  gate  and  paused 
irresolute,  then,  seeing  all  was  quiet,  stole  cautiously  on  to 
the  jetty,  and  stood  for  some  time  gazing  curiously  down  on 
to  the  deck  of  the  billy-boy  Psyche  lying  alongside. 

With  the  exception  of  the  mate,  who,  since  the  lamented 
disappearance  of  its  late  master  and  owner,  was  acting 
as  captain,  the  deck  was  as  deserted  as  the  wharf.  He  was 
smoking  an  evening  pipe  in  all  the  pride  of  a  first 
command,  his  eye  roving  fondly  from  the  blunt  bows  and 
untidy  deck  of  his  craft  to  her  clumsy  stern,  when  a  slight 
cough  from  the  man  above  attracted  his  attention. 

"How  do,  George?"  said  the  man  on  the  jetty,  some- 
what sheepishly,  as  the  other  looked  up. 

The  mate  opened  his  mouth,  and  his  pipe  fell  from  it 
and  smashed  to  pieces  unnoticed. 

"  Got  much  stuff  in  her  this  trip  ?  "  continued  the  man, 
with  an  obvious  attempt  to  appear  at  ease. 

"The  mate,  still  looking  up,  backed  slowly  to  the  other 
side  of  the  deck,  but  made  no  reply. 

"What's  the  matter,  man?"  said  the  other  testily. 
**You  don't  seem  overpl eased  to  see  me." 

He  leaned  over  as  he  spoke,  and,  laying  hold  of  the 
K  129 


ISO  MANY   CARGOES 

rigging,  descended  to  the  deck,  while  the  mate  took  his 
breath  in  short,  exhilarating  gasps. 

"  Here  I  am,  George,"  said  the  intruder,  "  turned  up  like 
A  bad  penny,  an'  glad  to  see  your  handsome  face  again, 
I  can  tell  you." 

In  response  to  this  flattering  remark  George  gurgled. 

"  VVhy,"  said  the  other,  with  an  uneasy  laugh,  "  did  you 
think  I  was  dead,  George  ?     Ha,  ha  1     Feel  that  I " 

He  fetched  the  horrified  man  a  thump  in  the  back, 
which  stopped  even  his  gurgles. 

"  That  feel  like  a  dead  man  ?  "  asked  the  smiter,  raising 
his  hand  again.     "  Feel  " 

The  mate  moved  back  hastily.  "  That  11  do,"  said  he 
fiercely;  "ghost  or  no  ghost,  don't  you  hit  me  like  that 
again." 

"  A'  right,  George,"  said  the  other,  as  he  meditatively  felt 
the  stiflf  grey  whiskers  which  framed  his  red  face.  "  What 's 
the  news  ?  " 

"The  news,"  said  George,  who  was  of  slow  habits  and 
speech,  "is  that  you  was  found  last  Tuesday  week  off  St. 
Katherine's  Stairs,  you  was  sat  on  a  Friday  week  at  the 
Town  o'  Ramsgate  public-house,  and  buried  on  Monday 
afternoon  at  Lowestoft." 

"Buried?"  gasped  the  other,  "sat  on?  You've  been 
drinking,  George." 

"An'  a  pretty  penny  your  funeral  cost,  I  can  tell  you," 
continued  the  mate.  "There's  a  headstone  being  made 
now — 'Lived  lamented  and  died  respected,'  I  think  it  is, 
with  '  Not  lost,  but  gone  before,'  at  the  bottom." 

"Lived  respected  and  died  lamented,  you  mean,' 
growled  the  old  man ;  "  well,  a  nice  muddle  you  have 
made  of  it  between  you.  Things  always  go  wrong  when 
I  'm  not  here  to  look  after  them." 

*•  You  ain't  dead,  then  ?  "  said  the  mate,  taking  no  notice 


» 


AFTER  THE   INQUEST  131 

of  this  unreasonable  remark  "  Where  've  you  been  all  this 
long  time  ?  " 

"  No  more  than  you  're  master  o'  this  'ere  ship,"  replied 
Mr.  Harbolt  grimly.  "  I — I  've  been  a  bit  queer  in  the 
stomach,  an'  I  took  a  little  drink  to  correct  it.  Foolish 
like,  I  took  the  wrong  drink,  and  it  must  have  got  into  my 
head." 

"That's  the  worst  of  not  being  used  to  it,"  said  the 
mate,  without  moving  a  muscle. 

The  skipper  eyed  him  solemnly,  but  the  mate  stood  firm. 

"Arter  that,"  continued  the  skipper,  still  watching  him 
suspiciously,  "I  remember  no  more  distinctly  until  this 
morning,  when  I  found  myself  sitting  on  a  step  down 
Poplar  way  and  shiverin',  with  the  morning  newspaper  and 
a  crowd  round  me." 

"  Morning  newspaper  I "  repeated  the  mystified  mate. 
"What  was  that  for?" 

"Decency.  I  was  wrapped  up  in  it,"  replied  the 
skipper.  "  Where  I  came  from  or  how  I  got  there  I  don't 
know  more  than  Adam.  I  s'pose  I  must  have  been  ill; 
I  seem  to  remember  taking  something  out  of  a  bottle 
pretty  often.  Some  old  gentleman  in  the  crowd  took  me 
into  a  shop  and  bought  me  these  clothes,  an'  here  I  am. 
My  own  clo'es  and  thirty  pounds  o'  freight  money  I  had 
in  my  pocket  is  all  gone." 

"  Well,  I  'm  hearty  glad  to  see  you  back,"  said  the  mate. 
**It's  quite  a  home-coming  for  you,  too.  Your  missis 
is  down  aft." 

"My  missis?  What  the  devil's  she  aboard  for?" 
growled  the  skipper,  successfully  controlling  his  natural 
gratification  at  the  news. 

"  She 's  been  with  us  these  last  two  trips,"  replied  the 
mate.  "She's  had  business  to  settle  in  London,  and  she's 
been  going  through  your  lockers  to  clear  up,  like." 


I3«  MANY   CARGOES 

"  My  lockers  ! "  groaned  the  skipper.  "  Good  heavens  1 
there 's  things  in  them  lockers  I  wouldn't  have  her  see  for 
the  world;  women  are  so  fussy  an'  so  fond  o'  making 
something  out  o'  nothing.  There 's  a  pore  female  touched 
a  bit  in  the  upper  storey,  what's  been  writing  love  letters 
to  me,  George." 

"  Three  pore  females,"  said  the  precise  mate ;  *'  the 
missis  has  got  all  the  letters  tied  up  with  blue  ribbon. 
Very  far  gone  they  was,  too,  poor  creeters." 

"  George,"  said  the  skipper  in  a  broken  voice,  "  I  'm 
a  ruined  man.  I'll  never  hear  the  end  o'  this.  I  guess 
I'll  go  an'  sleep  for'ard  this  voyage,  and  lie  low.  Be 
keerful  you  don't  let  on  I  'm  aboard,  an'  after  she 's  home 
I  '11  take  the  ship  again,  and  let  the  thing  leak  out  gradual. 
Come  to  life  bit  by  bit,  so  to  speak.  It  wouldn't  do  to 
scare  her,  George,  an'  in  the  meantime  I  '11  try  an'  think 
o'  some  explanation  to  tell  her.  You  might  be  thinking 
too." 

"  I  '11  do  what  I  can,"  said  the  mate. 

"  Crack  me  up  to  the  old  girl  all  you  can ;  tell  her  I  used 
to  write  to  all  sorts  o'  people  when  I  got  a  drop  of  drink  in 
me ;  say  how  thoughtful  I  always  was  of  her.  You  might 
tell  her  about  that  gold  locket  I  bought  for  her  an'  got 
robbed  of." 

*'  Gold  locket  ?  "  said  the  mate  in  tones  of  great  surprise. 
"  What  gold  locket  ?     Fust  I  've  heard  of  it." 

"  Any  gold  locket,"  said  the  skipper  irritably ;  **  anything 
you  can  think  of;  you  needn't  be  pertikler.  Arter  that 
you  can  drop  little  hints  about  people  being  buried  in 
mistake  for  others,  so  as  to  prepare  her  a  bit — I  don't  want 
to  scare  her." 

"  Leave  it  to  me,"  said  the  mate. 

"  I  '11  go  an'  turn  in  now,  I  'm  dead  tired,"  said  the 
skipper.     "  I  s'pose  Joe  and  the  boy 's  asleep  ?  " 


AFTER  THE   INQUEST  133 

George  nodded,  and  meditatively  watched  the  other 
as  he  pushed  back  the  fore-scuttle  and  drew  it  after  him 
as  he  descended.  Then  a  thought  struck  the  mate,  and  h« 
ran  hastily  forward  and  threw  his  weight  on  the  scuttle  just 
in  time  to  frustrate  the  efforts  of  Joe  and  the  boy,  who 
were  coming  on  deck  to  tell  him  a  new  ghost  story.  The 
confusion  below  was  frightful,  the  skipper's  cry  of  "It 's 
only  me,  Joe,"  not  possessing  the  soothing  effect  which  he 
intended.  They  calmed  down  at  length,  after  their  visitor 
had  convinced  them  that  he  really  was  flesh  and  blood  and 
fists,  and  the  boy's  attention  being  directed  to  a  small  rug 
in  the  corner  of  the  foc's'le,  the  skipper  took  his  bunk  and 
was  soon  fast  asleep. 

He  slept  so  soundly  that  the  noise  of  the  vessel  getting 
under  way  failed  to  rouse  him,  and  she  was  well  out  in  the 
open  river  when  he  awoke,  and  after  cautiously  protruding 
his  head  through  the  scuttle,  ventured  on  deck.  For  some 
time  he  stood  eagerly  sniffing  the  cool,  sweet  air,  and  then, 
after  a  look  round,  gingerly  approached  the  mate,  who  was 
at  the  helm. 

"  Give  me  a  hold  on  her,"  said  he. 

"  You  had  better  get  below  again,  if  you  don't  want  the 
missis  to  see  you,"  said  the  mate.  "She's  gettin'  up- 
nasty  temper  she 's  in  too." 

The  skipper  went  forward  grumbling.  "Send  down 
a  good  breakfast,  George,"  said  he. 

To  his  great  discomfort  the  mate  suddenly  gave  a  low 
whistle,  and  regarded  him  with  a  look  of  blank  dismay. 

"  Good  gracious  1 "  he  cried,  "  I  forgot  all  about  it. 
Here 's  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish — well,  well." 

"  Forgot  about  what  ?  "  asked  the  skipper  uneasily. 

"The  crew  take  their  meals  in  the  cabin  now,"  replied 
the  mate,  "  'cos  the  missis  says  it 's  more  cheerful  for  'em, 
and  she 's  I'arning  'em  to  eat  their  wittles  properly." 


134  MANY   CARGOES 

The  skipper  looked  at  him  aghast.  "  You  HI  have  to 
smuggle  me  up  some  grub,"  he  said  at  length.  *'  I  'm  not 
going  to  starve  for  nobody." 

"Easier  said  than  done,"  said  the  mate.  "  The  missis 
has  got  eyes  like  needles ;  still,  I  '11  do  the  best  I  can  for 
you.     Look  out !     Here  she  comes." 

The  skipper  fled  hastily,  and,  safe  down  below,  explained 
to  the  crew  how  they  were  to  secrete  portions  of  their 
breakfast  for  his  benefit.  The  amount  of  explanation 
required  for  so  simple  a  matter  was  remarkable,  the  crew 
manifesting  a  denseness  which  irritated  him  almost  beyond 
endurance.  They  promised,  however,  to  do  the  best  "they 
could  for  him,  and  returned  in  triumph  after  a  hearty  meal, 
and  presented  their  enraged  commander  with  a  few  greasy 
crumbs  and  the  tail  of  a  bloater. 

For  the  next  two  days  the  wind  was  against  them,  and 
they  made  but  little  progress.  Mrs.  Harbolt  spent  most  of 
her  time  on  deck,  thereby  confining  her  husband  to  his 
evil-smelling  quarters  below.  Matters  were  not  improved 
for  him  by  his  treatment  of  the  crew,  who,  resenting  his 
rough  treatment  of  them,  were  doing  their  best  to  starve 
him  into  civility.  Most  of  the  time  he  kept  in  his  bunk 
—  or  rather  Jemmy's  bunk  —  a  prey  to  despondency 
and  hunger  of  an  acute  type,  venturing  on  deck  only 
at  night  to  prowl  uneasily  about  and  bemoan  his  con- 
dition. 

On  the  third  night  Mrs.  Harbolt  was  later  in  retiring 
than  usual,  and  it  was  nearly  midnight  before  the  skipper, 
who  had  been  indignantly  waiting  for  her  to  go,  was  able 
to  get  on  deck  and  hold  counsel  with  the  mate. 

"I've  done  what  I  could  for  you,"  said  the  latter,  fishing 
a  crust  from  his  pocket,  which  Harbolt  took  thankfully. 
*'  I  've  told  her  all  the  yarns  I  could  think  of  about  people 
turning  up  after  they  was  buried  and  the  like." 


AFTER  THE   INQUEST  13 j 

"  What  'd  she  say  ?  "  queried  the  skipper  eagerly,  between 
his  bites, 

"Told  me  not  to  talk  like  that,"  said  the  mate;  "said  it 
showed  a  want  o'  trust  in  Providence  to  hint  at  such  things. 
Then  I  told  her  what  you  asked  me  about  the  locket,  only 
I  made  it  a  bracelet  worth  ten  pounds." 

"  That  pleased  her  ?  "  suggested  the  other  hopefully. 

The  mate  shook  his  head.  "  She  said  I  was  a  bom  fool 
to  believe  you'd  been  robbed  of  it,"  he  replied.  "She 
said  what  you  'd  done  was  to  give  it  to  one  o'  them  pore 
females.  She 's  been  going  on  frightful  about  it  all  the 
afternoon — won't  talk  o'  nothing  else." 

"  I  don't  know  what 's  to  be  done,"  groaned  the  skipper 
despondently.     "  I  shall  be  dead  afore  we  get  to  port 
this  wind  holds.     Go  down  and  get  me  something  to  eat 
George ;  I  'm  starving." 

"  Everything 's  locked  up,  as  I  told  you  afore,"  said  the 
mate. 

"As  the  master  of  this  ship,"  said  the  skipper,  drawing 
himself  up,  "  I  order  you  to  go  down  and  get  me  something 
to  eat.  You  can  tell  the  missus  it 's  for  you  if  she  says 
anything." 

"  I  'm  hanged  if  I  will,"  said  the  mate  sturdily.  "  Why 
don't  you  go  down  and  have  it  out  with  her  like  a  man  ? 
She  can't  eat  you." 

"  I  'm  not  going  to,"  said  the  other  shortly.  "  I  'm  a 
determined  man,  and  when  I  say  a  thing  I  mean  it  It's 
going  to  be  broken  to  her  gradual,  as  I  said;  I  don't  want 
her  to  be  scared,  poor  thing." 

"  I  know  who  'd  be  scared  the  most,"  murmured  the 
mate. 

The  skipper  looked  at  him  fiercely,  and  then  sat  down 
wearily  on  the  hatches  with  his  hands  between  his  knees, 
rising,  after  a  tiuie,  to  get  the  dipper  and  drink  copiously 


130  MANY  CARGOES 

fix)m  the  water-cask.     Then,  replacing  it  with  a  sigh,  he 
bade  the  mate  a  surly  good-night  and  went  below. 

To  his  dismay  he  found  when  he  awoke  in  the  morning 
that  what  little  wind  there  was  had  dropped  in  the  night, 
and  the  billy-boy  was  just  rising  and  faUing  lazily  on  the 
water  in  a  fashion  most  objectionable  to  an  empty  stomach. 
It  was  the  last  straw,  and  he  made  things  so  uncomfortable 
below  that  the  crew  were  glad  to  escape  on  deck,  where 
they  squatted  down  in  the  bows,  and  proceeded  to  review 
a  situation  which  was  rapidly  becoming  unbearable. 

«  I  've  'ad  enough  of  it,  Joe,"  grumbled  the  boy.     "  I  'm 
sore  all  over  with  sleeping  on  the  floor,  and  the  old  man's 
temper  gets  wuss  and  wuss.     I  'm  going  to  be  ill." 
"  Whaffor  ?  "  queried  Joe  dully. 

"  You  tell  the  missus  I  'm  down  below  ill.  Say  you  think 
I'm  dying,"  responded  the  infant  Machiavelli,  "then 
you  '11  see  somethink  if  you  keep  your  eyes  open." 

He  went  below  again,  not  without  a  little  nervousness, 
and,  clambering  into  Joe's  bunk,  rolled  over  on  his  back 
and  gave  a  deep  groan. 

"What's  the  matter  with  youf"  growled  the  skipper, 
who  was  lying  in  the  other  bunk  staving  oflf  the  pangs  of 
hunger  with  a  pipe. 

"  I  'm  very  ill — dying,"  said  Jemmy,  with  another  groan. 
"You'd   better   stay  in  bed  and   have   your   breakfast 
brought  down  here,  then,"  said  the  skipper  kindly. 
"  I  don't  want  no  breakfast,"  said  Jem  faintly. 
"  That 's  no  reason  why  you  shouldn't  have  it  sent  down, 
you  unfeeling  little  brute,"  said  the  skipper  indignantly. 
"You  tell   Joe  to  bring   you  down  a  great  plate  o'  cold 
meat  and  pickles,  and  some  coffee ;  that 's  what  you  want." 
"  All  right,  sir,"  said  Jemmy.    "  I  hope  they  won't  let  the 
missus  come  down  here,  in  case  it 's  something  catchingr 
I  wouldn't  like  her  to  be  took  bad." 


AFTER  THE  INQUEST  137 

"Eh?"  said  the  skipper,  in  alarm.  "Certainly  not. 
Here,  you  go  up  and  die  on  deck.     Hurry  up  vdth  you." 

"  I  can't ;  I  'm  too  weak,"  said  Jemmy. 

"  You  get  up  on  deck  at  once ;  d  'ye  hear  me  ?  "  hissed 
the  skipper,  in  alarm. 

"  I  c-c-c-can't  help  it,"  sobbed  Jemmy,  who  was  enjoying 
the  situation  amazingly,  "I  b'lieve  it's  sleeping  on  the 
hard  floor 's  snapped  something  inside  me." 

"  If  you  don't  go  I  '11  take  you,"  said  the  skipper,  and  he 
was  about  to  rise  to  put  his  threat  into  execution  when  a 
shadow  fell  across  the  opening,  and  a  voice,  which  thrilled 
him  to  the  core,  said  softly,  "  Jemmy  ! " 

"  Yes  'm  ?"  said  Jemmy  languidly,  as  the  skipper  flattened 
himself  in  his  bunk  and  drew  the  clothes  over  him. 

"  How  do  you  feel  ?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Harbolt. 

"Bad  all  over,"  said  Jemmy.  "Oh,  don't  come  down, 
mum — please  don't." 

"  Rubbish ! "  said  Mrs.  Harbolt  tartly,  as  she  came 
slowly  and  carefully  down  backwards.  "What  a  dark 
hole  this  is,  Jemmy.  No  wonder  you're  ilL  Put  your 
tongue  out." 

Jemmy  complied. 

"  I  can't  see  properly  here,"  murmured  the  lady,  "  but  it 
looks  very  large.  S'pose  you  go  in  the  other  bunk.  Jemmy. 
It 's  a  good  bit  higher  than  this,  and  you  'd  get  more  air  and 
be  more  comfortable  altogether." 

"Joe  wouldn't  like  it,  mum,"  said  the  boy  anxiously. 
The  last  glimpse  he  had  had  of  the  skipper's  face  did  not 
make  him  yearn  to  share  his  bed  with  him. 

"  Stuff  an'  nonsense  ! "  said  Mrs.  Harbolt  hotly.  "  Who  'b 
Joe,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?     Out  you  come." 

"  I  can't  move,  mum,"  said  Jemmy  firmly. 

"  Nonsense  ! "  said  the  lady.  "  I  '11  just  put  it  straight  £or 
you  first,  then  in  it  you  go." 


1)8  MANY  CARGOES 

"No,  don't,  mum,"  shouted  Jemmy,  now  thoroughly 
alarmed  at  the  success  of  his  plot.  "There,  there's  a 
gentleman  in  that  bunk.  A  gentleman  we  brought  from 
London  for  a  change  of  sea  air." 

"  My  goodness  gracious ! "  ejaculated  the  surprised 
Mrs.  Harbolt  "I  never  did.  Why,  what's  he  had  to 
eat?'' 

"  He— he — didn't  want  nothing  to  eat,"  said  Jemmy,  with 
a  woeful  disregard  for  facts. 

"What's  the  matter  with  him?"  inquired  Mrs.  Harbolt, 
eyeing  the  bunk  curiously.  "  What 's  his  name  ?  Who  is 
he  ?  " 

"  He 's  been  lost  a  long  time,"  said  Jemmy,  "  and  he  *?. 
forgotten  who  he  is — he  's  a  oldish  man  with  a  red  face  an' 
a  little  white  whisker  all  round  it — a  very  nice-looking  man, 
I  mean,"  he  interposed  hurriedly.  "  I  don't  think  he 's 
quite  right  in  his  head,  'cos  he  says  he  ought  to  have  been 
buried  instead  of  son>eone  else.     Oh  ! " 

The  last  word  was  almost  a  scream,  for  Mrs.  Harbolt, 
staggering  back,  pinched  him  convulsively. 

"  Jemmy ! "  she  gasped,  in  a  trembling  voice,  as  she 
suddenly  remembered  certain  mysterious  hints  throvm  out 
by  the  mate.     "  Who  is  it  ?  " 

"The  captain  I ^  said  Jemmy,  and,  breaking  from  her 
clasp,  slipped  from  his  bed  and  darted  hastily  on  deck,  just 
as  the  pallid  face  of  his  commander  broke  through  the 
blankets  and  beamed  anxiously  on  his  wife. 


Five  minutes  later,  as  the  crew  gathered  aft  were 
curiously  eyeing  the  foc's'le,  Mrs.  Harbolt  and  the  skipper 
came  on  deck.  To  the  great  astonishment  of  the  mate^ 
the  eyes  of  the  redoubtable  womaa  were  sligfady  wet^  aad^ 


AFTER  THE   INQUEST  139 

regardless  of  the  presence  of  the  men,  she  clung  fondly  to 
her  husband  as  they  walked  slowly  to  the  cabin.  Ere  they 
went  below,  however,  she  called  the  grinning  Jemmy  to 
her,  and,  to  his  private  grief  and  public  shame,  tucked  his 
bead  under  her  arm  and  kissed  him  fondlj. 


/ 


IN   LIMEHOUSE    REACH 

IT  was  the  mate's  affair  all  through.  He  began  by 
leaving  the  end  of  a  line  dangling  over  the  stern,  and 
the  propeller,  though  quite  unaccustomed  to  that  sort 
of  work,  wound  it  up  until  only  a  few  fathoms  remained. 
It  then  stopped,  and  the  mischief  was  not  discovered  until 
the  skipper  had  called  the  engineer  everything  that  he  and 
the  mate  and  three  men  and  a  boy  could  think  of.  The 
skipper  did  the  interpreting  through  the  tube  which  afforded 
the  sole  means  of  communication  between  the  wheel  and 
the  engine-room,  and  the  indignant  engineer  did  the 
listening. 

The  Gem  was  just  off  Limehouse  at  the  time,  and  it  was 
evident  she  was  going  to  stay  there.  The  skipper  ran  her 
ashore  and  made  her  fast  to  a  roomy  old  schooner  which 
was  lying  alongside  a  wharf.  He  was  then  able  to  give 
a  Uttle  attention  to  the  real  offender,  and  the  unfortunate 
mate,  who  had  been  the  most  inventive  of  them  all,  realised 
to  the  full  the  old  saying  of  curses  coming  home  to  roost 
They  brought  some  strangers  with  them,  too. 

"I'm  going  ashore,"  said  the  skipper  at  last.  "W« 
won't  get  off  till  next  tide  now.  When  it's  low  water 
you  '11  have  to  get  down  and  cut  the  line  away.  A  new  line 
too  1     I  'm  ashamed  o'  you,  Harry." 

"  I  'm  not  surprised,"  said  the  engineer,  who  was  a  vin- 
dictive man. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  demanded  the  mato 

fiercely. 

140 


IN  LIMEHOUSE   REACH  141 

"  We  don't  want  any  of  your  bad  temper,"  interposed  the 
skipper  severely.  "  Nor  bad  language.  The  men  can  go 
ashore,  and  the  engineer  too,  provided  he  keeps  steam  up. 
But  be  ready  for  a  start  about  five.  You  '11  have  to  mind 
the  ship." 

He  looked  over  the  stem  again,  shook  his  head  sadly,  and, 
after  a  visit  to  the  cabin,  clambered  over  the  schooner's  side 
and  got  ashore.  The  men,  after  looking  at  the  propeller 
and  shaking  their  heads,  went  ashore  too,  and  the  boy,  after 
looking  at  the  propeller  and  getting  ready  to  shake  his, 
caught  the  mate's  eye  and  omitted  that  part  of  the  ceremony, 
from  a  sudden  conviction  that  it  was  unhealthy. 

Left  alone,  the  mate,  who  was  of  a  sensitive  disposition, 
after  a  curt  nod  to  Captain  Jansell  of  the  schooner  Aquila, 
who  had  heard  of  the  disaster,  and  was  disposed  to  be 
sympathetically  inquisitive,  Ut  his  pipe  and  began  moodily 
to  smoke. 

When  he  next  looked  up  the  old  man  had  disappeared, 
and  a  girl  in  a  print  dress  and  a  large  straw  hat  sat  in 
a  wicker  chair  reading.  She  was  such  a  pretty  girl  that  the 
mate  forgot  his  troubles  at  once,  and,  after  carefully  putting 
his  cap  on  straight,  strolled  casually  up  and  down  the 
deck. 

To  his  mortification,  the  girl  seemed  unaware  of  his 
presence,  and  read  steadily,  occasionally  looking  up  and 
chirping  with  a  pair  of  ravishing  lips  at  a  blackbird,  which 
hung  in  a  wicker  cage  from  the  mainmast. 

"  That 's  a  nice  bird,"  said  the  mate,  leaning  against  the 
side,  and  turning  a  look  of  great  admiration  upon  it 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl,  raising  a  pair  of  dark  blue  eyes  to 
the  bold  brown  ones,  and  taking  him  in  at  a  glance. 

*'  Does  it  sing  ?  "  inquired  the  mate,  with  a  show  of  great 
interest. 

"  It  does  sometimes,  when  we  are  alone,"  was  the  reply. 


I4«  MANY  CARGOES 

"  1  should  have  thought  the  sea  air  would  have  affected 
its  throat,"  said  the  mate,  reddening.  "Are  you  often  in 
the  London  river,  miss?  I  don't  remember  seeing  your 
craft  before." 

"  Not  often,"  said  the  girl. 

"  You  've  got  a  fine  schooner  here,"  said  the  mate,  eyeing 
it  critically.     "  For  my  part,  I  prefer  a  sailer  to  a  steamer." 

**  I  should  think  you  would,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Why  ?  "  inquired  the  mate  tenderly,  pleased  at  this  show 
of  interest. 

"No  propeller,"  said  the  girl  quietly,  and  she  left  her 
seat  and  disappeared  below,  leaving  the  mate  gasping 
painfully. 

Left  to  himself,  he  became  melancholy,  as  he  realised 
that  the  great  passion  of  his  life  had  commenced,  and  would 
probably  end  within  a  few  hours.  The  engineer  came 
aboard  to  look  at  the  fires,  and,  the  steamer  being  now  on 
the  soft  mud,  good-naturedly  went  down  and  assisted  him 
to  free  the  propeller  before  going  ashore  again.  Then 
he  was  alone  once  more,  gazing  ruefully  at  the  bare  deck 
of  the  Aquila. 

It  was  past  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  any  signs 
of  life  other  than  the  blackbird  appeared  there.  Then  the 
girl  came  on  deck  again,  accompanied  by  a  stout  woman 
of  middle  age,  and  an  appearance  so  affable  that  the  mate 
commenced  at  once. 

"Fine  day,"  he  said  pleasantly,  as  he  brought  up  in 
front  of  them. 

"  Lovely  weather,"  said  the  mother,  settling  herself  in 
her  chair  and  putting  down  her  work  ready  for  a  chat 
"  1  hope  the  wind  lasts ;  we  start  to-morrow  morning's  tide. 
You  '11  gel  off  this  afternoon,  I  s'pose." 

"  About  five  o'clock,"  said  the  mate. 

'•  I  should  like  to  try  a  steamer  for  a  change,"  said  the 


IN  LIMEHOUSE   REACH  143 

mother,  and  waxed  garrulous  on  sailing  craft  generally,  and 
her  own  in  particular. 

"  There 's  five  of  us  down  there,  with  my  husband  and 
the  two  boys,"  said  she,  indicating  the  cabin  with  her 
thumb;  "naturally  it  gets  rather  stuffy." 

The  mate  sighed.  He  was  thinking  that  under  some 
conditions  there  were  worse  things  than  stuffy  cabins. 

"And  Nancy's  so  discontented,"  said  the  mother,  looking 
at  the  girl  who  was  reading  quietly  by  her  side.  "She 
doesn't  like  ships  or  sailors.  She  gets  her  head  turned 
reading  those  penny  novelettes." 

"  You  look  after  your  own  head,"  said  Nancy  elegantly, 
without  looking  up. 

"Girls  in  those  novels  don't  talk  to  their  mothers  like 
that,"  said  the  elder  woman  severely. 

"  They  have  different  sorts  of  mothers,"  said  Nancy, 
serenely  turning  over  a  page.  "  I  hate  little  pokey  ships 
and  sailors  smelling  of  tar.  I  never  saw  a  sailor  I  liked 
yet" 

The  mate's  face  fell.  "There's  sailors  and  sailors,"  he 
suggested  humbly. 

"It's  no  good  talking  to  her,"  said  the  mother,  with 
a  look  of  fat  resignation  on  her  face,  "  we  can  only  let  her 
go  her  own  way ;  if  you  talked  to  her  twenty-four  hours 
right  off  it  wouldn't  do  her  any  good." 

"  I  'd  like  to  try,"  said  the  mate,  plucking  up  spirit. 

"  Would  you  ?  "  said  the  girl,  for  the  first  time  raising  her 
head  and  looking  him  full  in  the  face.     "  Impudence  ! " 

"Perhaps  you  haven't  seen  many  ships,"  said  the  im» 
pressionable  mate,  his  eyes  devouring  her  face.  "Would 
you  like  to  come  and  have  a  look  at  our  cabin  ?  " 

"  No,  thanks  !  "  said  the  girl  sharply.  Then  she  smiled 
maliciously.  "  I  daresay  mother  would,  though ;  she 's  food 
of  poking  her  nose  into  other  people's  business." 


144  MANY  CARGOES 

The  mother  regarded  her  irreverent  offspring  fixedly  for 
a  few  moments.     The  mate  interposed. 

"  I  should  be  very  pleased  to  show  you  over,  ma'am,"  ho 
said  politely. 

The  mother  hesitated ;  then  she  rose,  and  accepting  the 
mate's  assistance,  clambered  on  to  the  side  of  the  steamer, 
and,  supported  by  his  arms,  sprang  to  the  deck  and 
followed  him  below. 

"  Very  nice,"  she  said,  nodding  approvingly,  as  the  mate 
did  the  honours.     "  Very  nice. 

"  It 's  nice  and  roomy  for  a  little  craft  like  ours,"  said  the 
mate,  as  he  drew  a  stone  bottle  from  a  locker  and  poured 
out  a  couple  of  glasses  of  stout.  "Try  a  little  beer, 
ma'am." 

"  What  you  must  think  o'  that  girl  o'  mine  I  can't  think," 
murmured  the  lady,  taking  a  modest  draught. 

"  The  young,"  said  the  mate,  who  had  not  quite  reached 
his  twenty-fifth  year,  "  are  often  like  that." 

*'  It  spoils  her,"  said  her  mother.  "  She 's  a  good-looking 
girl,  too,  in  her  way." 

"I  don't  see  how  she  can  help  being  that,"  said  the  mate. 

"Oh,  get  away  with  you,"  said  the  lady  pleasantly. 
•*  She  '11  get  fat  like  me  as  she  gets  older." 

"  She  couldn't  do  better,"  said  the  mate  tenderly. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  the  lady,  smiling. 

"You're  as  Uke  as  two  peas,"  persisted  the  mate.  "I 
made  sure  you  were  sisters  when  I  saw  you  first" 

"  You  ain't  the  first  that 's  thought  that,"  said  the  other, 
laughing  softly ;  "  not  by  a  lot" 

"  I  like  to  see  ladies  about,"  said  the  mate,  who  was 
trying  desperately  for  a  return  invitation.  "  I  wish  you 
could  always  sit  there.     You  quite  brighten  the  cabin  up." 

"You're  a  flatterer,"  said  his  visitor,  as  he  replenished 
|ier  glass,  and  showed  so  Uttle  signs  of  making  a  move  that 


IN  LIMEHOUSE   REACH  145 

the  mate,  making  a  pretext  of  seeing  the  engineer,  hurried 
up  on  deck  to  singe  his  wings  once  more. 

"  Still  reading  ? "  he  said  softly,  as  he  came  abreast  of 
the  girl.     "  All  about  love,  I  s'pose." 

'*  Have  you  left  my  mother  down  there  all  by  herself?" 
inquired  the  girl  abruptly. 

"  Just  a  minute,"  said  the  mate,  somewhat  crestfallen. 
"  I  just  came  up  to  see  the  engineer." 

"  Well,  he  isn't  here,"  was  the  discouraging  reply. 

The  mate  waited  a  minute  or  two,  the  girl  still  reading 
quietly,  and  then  walked  back  to  the  cabin.  The  sound  of 
gentle  regular  breathing  reached  his  ears,  and,  stepping 
sofdy,  he  saw  to  his  joy  that  his  visitor  slept. 

"  She 's  asleep,"  said  he,  going  back,  "  and  she  looks  so 
comfortable  I  don't  think  I  '11  wake  her." 

"  I  shouldn't  advise  you  to,"  said  the  girl ;  "  she  always 
wakes  up  cross." 

"  How  strange  we  should  run  up  against  each  other 
like  this,"  said  the  mate  sentimentally;  "it  looks  like 
Providence,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  Looks  like  carelessness,"  said  the  girl. 

♦'  I  don't  care,"  replied  the  mate.  "  I  'm  glad  I  did  let 
that  line  go  overboard.  Best  day's  work  I  ever  did.  I 
shouldn't  have  seen  you  if  I  hadn't." 

"And  I  don't  suppose  you'll  ever  see  me  again,"  said 
the  girl  comfortably,  "so  I  don't  see  what  good  you've 
done  yourself." 

"  I  shall  run  down  to  Limehouse  every  time  we  're  in 
port,  anyway,"  said  the  mate ;  "  it  '11  be  odd  if  I  don't  see 
you  sometimes.  I  daresay  our  craft '11  pass  each  other 
sometimes.     Perhaps  in  the  night,"  he  added  gloomily. 

"  I  shall  sit  up  all  night  watching  for  you,"  declared  Miss 
Jansell  untruthfully. 

In  this  cheerful  fashion  the  conversation  proceeded,  the 


146  MANY  CARGOES 

girl,  who  was  by  no  means  insensible  to  his  bright  eager 
face  and  well-knit  figure,  dividing  her  time  in  the  ratio  of 
three  parts  to  her  book  and  one  to  him.  Time  passed  all 
too  soon  for  the  mate,  when  they  were  interrupted  by  a 
series  of  hoarse  unintelligible  roars  proceeding  from  the 
schooner's  cabin. 

"That's  father,"  said  Miss  Jansell,  rising  with  a  celerity 
which  spoke  well  for  the  discipline  maintained  on  the 
Aquila ;  "he  wants  me  to  mend  his  waistcoat  for  him." 

She  put  down  her  book  and  left,  the  mate  watching  her 
until  she  disappeared  down  the  companion-way.  Then  he 
sat  down  and  waited. 

One  by  one  the  crew  returned  to  the  steamer,  but  the 
schooner's  deck  showed  no  signs  of  life.  Then  the  skipper 
came,  and,  having  peered  critically  over  his  vessel's  side, 
gave  orders  to  get  under  way. 

"  If  she  'd  only  come  up,"  said  the  miserable  mate  to 
himself,  "I'd  risk  it,  and  ask  whether  I  might  write  to 
her." 

This  chance  of  imperilling  a  promising  career  did  not 
occur,  however ;  the  steamer  slowly  edged  away  from  the 
schooner,  and,  picking  her  way  between  a  tier  of  lighters, 
steamed  slowly  into  clearer  water. 

"  Full  speed  ahead  1 "  roared  the  skipper  down  the  tube. 
The  engineer  responded,  and  the  mate  gazed  in  a 
melancholy  fashion  at  the  water  as  it  rapidly  widened 
between  the  two  vessels.  Then  his  face  brightened  up 
suddenly  as  the  girl  ran  up  on  deck  and  waved  her  hand. 
Hardly  able  to  believe  his  eyes,  he  waved  his  back.  The 
girl  gesticulated  violently,  now  pointing  to  the  steamer,  and 
then  to  the  schooner. 

"  By  Jove,  that  giri  's  taken  a  fancy  to  you,"  said  the 
skipper.     "She  wants  you  to  go  back." 
The  mate  sighed.     "  Seems  like  it,"  he  said  modestly. 


IN  LIMEHOUSE   REACH  147 

To  his  astonishment  the  girl  was  now  joined  by  her  men 
folk,  who  also  waved  hearty  farewells,  and,  throwing  their 
arms  about,  shouted  incoherently. 

"Blamed  if  they  haven't  all  took  a  fancy  to  you,"  said 
the  puzzled  skipper ;  "  the  old  man 's  got  the  speaking- 
trumpet  now.     What  does  he  say  ?  " 

"  Something  about  Ufe,  I  think,"  said  the  mate. 

"They're  more  Hke  jumping-jacks  than  anything  else," 
said  the  skipper.     "  Just  look  at  'em." 

The  mate  looked,  and,  as  the  distance  increased,  sprang 
on  to  the  side,  and,  his  eyes  dim  with  emotion,  waved 
tender  farewells.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  presence  of 
the  skipper — a  tremendous  stickler  for  decorum — he  would 
have  kissed  his  hand. 

It  was  not  until  Gravesend  was  passed,  and  the  side- 
lights of.  the  shipping  were  trying  to  show  in  the  gathering 
dusk,  that  he  awoke  from  his  tender  apathy.  It  is  probable 
that  it  would  have  lasted  longer  than  that  but  for  a  sudden 
wail  of  anguish  and  terror  which  proceeded  from  the  cabin 
and  rang  out  on  the  still  warm  air. 

"Sakes  alive!"  said  the  skipper,  starting;  "what's  that?** 

Before  the  mate  could  reply,  the  companion  was  pushed 
back,  and  a  middle-aged  woman,  labouring  under  strong 
excitement,  appeared  on  deck. 

"  You  villain ! "  she  screamed  excitably,  rushing  up  to 
the  mate.     "  Take  me  back  ;  take  me  back  1 " 

"What's  all  this,  Harry?"  demanded  the  skipper 
sternly. 

"  He — he — he — asked  me  to  go  into  the  cab — cabin," 
sobbed  Mrs.  Jansell,  "  and  sent  me  to  sleep,  and  too — 
too — took  me  away.  My  husband  '11  kill  me ;  I  know  he 
will.     Take  me  back." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  be  took  back  to  be  killed  for  ?  " 
interposed  one  of  the  men  judicially. 


148  MANY  CARGOES 

"I  might  ha'  known  what  he  meant  when  he  said  I 
brightened  the  cabin  up,"  said  Mrs.  Jansell ;  "  and  when 
he  said  he  thought  me  and  my  daughter  were  sisters.  He 
said  he  'd  like  me  to  sit  there  ahvays,  the  wretch  I " 

"  Did  you  say  that  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper  fiercely. 

"  Well,  I  did,"  said  the  miserable  mate ;  "  but  I  didn^ 
mean  her  to  take  it  that  way.  She  went  to  sleep,  and  I 
forgot  all  about  her." 

"  What  did  you  say  such  silly  lies  for,  then  ?  "  demanded 
the  skipper. 

The  mate  hung  his  head. 

**01d  enough  to  be  your  mother  too,"  said  the  skipper 
severely.  "  Here 's  a  nice  thing  to  happen  aboard  my 
ship,  and  afore  the  boy  too  ! " 

"  Blast  the  boy ! "  said  the  goaded  mate. 

"  Take  me  back,"  wailed  Mrs.  Jansell;  "you  don't  knovt 
how  jealous  my  husband  is." 

"He  won't  hurt  you,"  said  the  skipper  kindly;  "he 
won't  be  jealous  of  a  woman  your  time  o'  life ;  that  is,  not 
if  he 's  got  any  sense.  You  '11  have  to  go  as  far  as  Boston 
with  us  now.    I  've  lost  too  much  time  already  to  go  back.* 

"You  must  take  me  back,"  said  Mrs.  Jansell  passionately 

"I'm  not  going  back  for  anybody,"  said  the  skipper. 
"  But  you  can  make  your  mind  quite  easy :  you  're  as  safe 
aboard  my  ship  as  what  you  would  be  alone  on  a  raft  in 
the  middle  of  the  Atlantic;  and  as  for  the  mate,  he  was 
only  chaffing  you.     Wasn't  you,  Harry  ?  " 

The  mate  made  some  reply,  but  neither  Mrs.  Jansell, 
the  skipper,  nor  the  men,  who  were  all  listening  eagerly, 
caught  it,  and  his  unfortunate  victim,  accepting  the  in- 
evitable, walked  to  the  side  of  the  ship  and  gazed 
disconsolately  astern. 

It  was  not  until  the  following  morning  that  the  mate, 
who  had  received  orders   to  mess  for'ard,  saw  her,  and 


IN  LIMEHOUSE  REACH  149 

Ignoring  the  fact  that  everybody  suspended  work  to  listei^ 
walked  up  and  bade  her  good  morning. 

"  Harry,"  said  the  skipper  warningly. 

"All  right,"  said  the  mate  shortly.  "I  want  to  speak 
to  you  very  particularly,"  he  said  nervously,  and  led  hia 
listener  aft,  followed  by  three  of  the  crew  who  came  to 
clean  the  brasswork,  and  who  listened  mutinously  when 
they  were  ordered  to  defer  unwonted  industry  to  a 
more  fitting  time.  The  deck  clear,  the  mate  began, 
and  in  a  long  rambling  statement,  which  Mrs.  Jansell 
at  first  thought  the  ravings  of  lunacy,  acquainted  her 
with  the  real  state  of  his  feelings. 

"I  never  did!"  said  she,  when  he  had  finished.  "Never I 
Why,  you  hadn't  seen  her  before  yesterday." 

"Of  course  I  shall  take  you  back  by  train,"  said  the 
mate,  "  and  tell  your  husband  how  sorry  I  am." 

"I  might  have  suspected  something  when  you  said  all 
those  nice  things  to  me,"  said  the  mollified  lady.  "Well, 
you  must  take  your  chance,  like  all  the  rest  of  them.  She 
can  only  say  'No,'  again.  It'll  explain  this  affair  better, 
that 's  one  thing ;  but  I  expect  they  '11  laugh  at  you." 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  the  mate  stoutly.  "  You  're  on  my 
side,  ain't  you  ?  " 

Mrs.  Jansell  laughed,  and  the  mate,  having  succeeded 
beyond  his  hopes  in  the  estabUshment  of  amicable  re» 
lations,  went  about  his  duties  with  a  light  heart. 

By  the  time  they  reached  Boston  the  morning  was  far 
advanced,  and  after  the  Gem  was  comfortably  berthed 
he  obtained  permission  of  the  skipper  to  accompany 
the  fair  passenger  to  London,  beguiling  the  long  railway 
journey  by  every  means  in  his  power.  Despite  his  efforts, 
however,  the  journey  began  to  pall  upon  his  companion, 
and  it  was  not  until  evening  was  well  advanced  that  they 
found  themselves  in  the  narrow  streets  of  Limehouse. 


I  JO  MANY  CARGOES 

"Well  see  how  the  land  lies  first,"  said  he,  as  they 
approached  the  wharf  and  made  their  way  cautiously  on 
to  the  quay. 

The  Aquila  was  still  alongside,  and  the  mate's  heart 
thumped  violently  as  he  saw  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble 
sitting  alone  on  the  deck.  She  rose  with  a  little  start  as 
her  mother  stepped  carefully  aboard,  and,  running  to  her, 
kissed  her  affectionately,  and  sat  her  down  on  the  hatches. 

"Poor  mother,"  she  said  caressingly.  "What  did  you 
bring  that  lunatic  back  with  you  for  ?  " 

"  He  would  come,"  said  Mrs.  Jansell.  "  Hush  1  here 
comes  your  father." 

The  master  of  the  Aquila  came  on  deck  as  she  spoke, 
and  walking  slowly  up  to  the  group,  stood  sternly  regarding 
them.  Under  his  gaze  the  mate  breathlessly  reeled  off  his 
tale,  noticing  with  somewhat  mixed  feelings  the  widening 
grin  of  his  listener  as  he  proceeded. 

"Well,  you're  a  lively  sort  o'  man,"  said  the  skipper  as 
he  finished.  "  In  one  day  you  tie  up  your  own  ship,  run  off 
with  my  wife,  and  lose  us  a  tide.    Are  you  always  like  that?" 

"I  want  somebody  to  look  after  me,  I  s'pose,"  said  the 
mate,  with  a  side  glance  at  Nancy. 

"  Well,  we  'd  put  you  up  for  the  night,"  said  the  skipper, 
with  his  arm  round  his  wife's  shoulders ;  "  but  you  're  such 
a  chap.  I  'm  afraid  you  'd  burn  the  ship  down,  or  some- 
thing.    What  do  you  think,  old  girl  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  '11  try  him  this  once,"  said  his  wife.  "And 
now  I  '11  go  down  and  see  about  supper ;  I  want  it." 

The  old  couple  went  below,  and  the  young  one  remained 
on  deck.  Nancy  went  and  leaned  against  the  side ;  and  as 
she  appeared  to  have  quite  forgotten  his  presence,  the  mate, 
after  some  hesitation,  joined  her. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  go  down  and  get  some  supper  ?  "  she 
asked. 


IN  LIMEHOUSE   REACH  151 

"I*d  sooner  stay  here,  if  you  don't  mind,"  said  the  mate. 
•*I  like  watching  the  lights  going  up  and  down;  I  could 
stay  here  for  hours." 

"  I  '11  leave  you,  then,"  said  the  girl ;  "  I  'm  hungry." 

She  tripped  lightly  off  with  a  smothered  laugh,  leaving 
the  fairly-trapped  man  gazing  indignantly  at  the  lights  which 
had  lured  him  to  destruction. 

From  below  he  heard  the  cheerful  clatter  of  crockery, 
accompanied  by  a  savoury  incense,  and  talk  and  laughter. 
He  imagined  the  girl  making  fun  of  his  sentimental  reasons 
for  staying  on  deck ;  but,  too  proud  to  meet  her  ironical 
glances,  stayed  doggedly  where  he  was,  resolving  to  be 
off  by  the  first  train  in  the  morning.  He  was  roused  from 
his  gloom  by  a  slight  touch  on  his  arm,  and,  turning  sharply, 
saw  the  girl  by  his  side. 

"  Supper 's  quite  ready,"  said  she  soberly.  "And  if  yon 
want  to  admire  the  lights  very  much,  come  up  and  see 
them  when  I  do — after  supper," 


AN   ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT 


I  HAVE  always  had  a  slight  suspicion  that  the  following 
narrative  is  not  quite  true.  It  was  related  to  me  by  an 
old  seaman  who,  among  other  incidents  of  a  somewhat 
adventurous  career,  claimed  to  have  received  Napoleon's 
sword  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  and  a  wound  in  the  back 
at  Waterloo.  I  prefer  to  tell  it  in  my  own  way,  his  being 
so  garnished  with  nautical  terms  and  expletives  as  to  be 
half  unintelligible  and  somewhat  horrifying.  Our  talk  had 
been  of  love  and  courtship,  and  after  making  me  a  present 
of  several  tips,  invented  by  himself,  and  considered  in- 
valuable by  his  friends,  he  related  this  story  of  the  courtship 
of  a  chum  of  his  as  illustrating  the  great  lengths  to  which 
young  bloods  were  prepared  to  go  in  his  days  to  attain 
their  ends. 

It  was  a  fine  clear  day  in  June  when  Hezekiah  Lewis, 
captain  and  part  owner  of  the  schooner  Thames^  bound 
from  London  to  Aberdeen,  anchored  off  the  little  out-of- 
the-way  town  of  Orford  in  Suffolk,  Among  other  antiquities, 
the  town  possessed  Hezekiah's  widowed  mother,  and  when 
there  was  no  very  great  hurry — the  world  went  slower  in 
those  days — the  dutiful  son  used  to  go  ashore  in  the  ship's 
boat,  and  after  a  filial  tap  at  his  mother's  window,  which 
often  startled  the  old  woman  considerably,  pass  on  his  way 
to  see  a  young  lady  to  whom  he  had  already  proposed  five 
times  without  effect. 

lekMb  mate  and  crew  of  the  schooner,  seven  all  told,  drew 

1^ 


AN   ELABORATE   ELOPEMENT  ijj 

up  in  a  little  knot  as  the  skipper,  in  his  shore-going  clothes, 
appeared  on  deck,  and  regarded  him  with  an  air  of  grinning, 

mysterious  interest. 

"  Now  you  all  know  what  you  have  got  to  do  ? "  queried 
the  skipper. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  replied  the  crew,  grinning  still  more  deeply. 

Hezekiah  regarded  them  closely,  and  then  ordering  the 
boat  to  be  lowered,  scrambled  over  the  side,  and  was 
pulled  swiftly  towards  the  shore. 

A  sharp  scream,  and  a  breathless  "  Lawk-a-mussy  me  1 " 
as  he  tapped  at  his  mother's  window,  assured  him  that  the 
old  lady  was  alive  and  well,  and  he  continued  on  his  way 
until  he  brought  up  at  a  small  but  pretty  house  in  the  next 
road. 

"Morning,  Mr.  Rumbolt,"  said  he  heartily  to  a  stout, 
red-faced  man,  who  sat  smoking  in  the  doorway. 

*'  Morning,  cap'n,  morning,"  said  the  red-faced  man. 

"Is  the  rheumatism  any  better?"  inquired  Hezekiah 
anxiously,  as  he  grasped  the  other's  huge  hand. 

"  So,  so,"  said  the  other.  "  But  it  ain't  the  rheumatism 
so  much  what  troubles  me,"  he  resumed,  lowering  his 
voice,  and  looking  round  cautiously.     '*  It 's  Kate." 

"  What  ?  "  said  the  skipper. 

"  You  've  heard  of  a  man  being  henpecked  ?  "  continued 
Mr.  Rumbolt,  in  tones  of  husky  confidence. 

The  captain  nodded. 

"  I  'm  chick-pecked^^  murmured  the  other. 

"  What  ?  "  inquired  the  astonished  mariner  again. 

"  Chick-pecked,"  repeated  Mr.  Rumbolt  firmly.  "  Chik- 
PEKED.     D'  ye  understand  me  ?  " 

The  captain  said  that  he  did,  and  stood  silent  awhile, 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  wants  to  say  something,  but  is 
half  afraid  to.  At  last,  with  a  desperate  appearance  o{ 
resolution,  he  bent  down  to  the  old  man's  ear; 


154  MANY   CARGOES 

"That's  the  deaf\n,"  said  Mr.  Rumbolt  promptly. 
Hezekiah  changed  ears,  speaking  at  first  slowly  and 
awkwardly,  but  becoming  more  fluent  as  he  warmed  with 
his  subject;  while  the  expression  of  his  listener's  face 
gradually  changed  from  incredulous  bewilderment  to  one 
of  uncontrollable  mirth.  He  became  so  uproarious  that  he 
was  fain  to  push  the  captain  away  from  him,  and  lean  back 
in  his  chair  and  choke  and  laugh  until  he  nearly  lost  his 
breath,  at  which  crisis  a  remarkably  pretty  girl  appeared 
from  the  back  of  the  house,  and  patted  him  with  hearty 
good  will. 

"  That  '11  do,  my  dear,"  said  the  choking  Mr.  Rumbolt 
•'  Here 's  Captain  Lewis." 

" I  can  see  him,"  said  his  daughter  calmly.  "What's  he 
standing  on  one  leg  for  ?  " 

The  skipper,  who  really  was  standing  in  a  somewhat 
constrained  attitude,  coloured  violently,  and  planted  both 
feet  firmly  on  the  ground. 

"  Being  as  I  was  passing  close  in,  Miss  Rumbolt,"  said 

he,  "  and  coming  ashore  to  see  mother  " 

To  the  captain's  discomfort,  manifestations  of  a  further 
attack  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Rumbolt  appeared,  but  were 
promptly  quelled  by  the  daughter. 

"  Mother  ?  "  she  repeated  encouragingly. 
"  I  thought  I  'd  come  on  and  ask  you  just  to  pay  a  sort 
o'  flying  visit  to  the  Thames.''^ 

"  Thank  you,  I  'm  comfortable  enough  where  I  am,"  said 
the  girl. 

"  I  've  got  a  couple  of  monkeys  and  a  bear  aboard,  which 
I'm  taking  to  a  menagerie  in  Aberdeen,"  continued  the 
captain,  "and  the  thought  struck  me  you  might  possibly 
like  to  see  'em." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  said  the  damsel  in  a  flutter.  "  I« 
it  a  big  bear  ?  " 


AN    ELABOIL'\TF.    ELOPEMENT  155 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  an  elephant  ?  "  inquired  Hezekiah 
cautiously. 

"  Only  in  pictures,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Well,  it 's  as  big  as  that,  nearly,"  said  he. 

The  temptation  was  irresistible,  and  Miss  Rumbolt, 
telling  her  father  that  she  should  not  be  long,  disappeared 
into  the  house  in  search  of  her  hat  and  jacket,  and  ten 
minutes  later  the  brawny  rowers  were  gazing  their  fill  into 
her  deep  blue  eyes  as  she  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and 
told  Lewis  to  behave  himself. 

It  was  but  a  short  pull  out  to  the  schooner,  and  Miss 
Rumbolt  was  soon  on  the  deck,  lavishing  endearments  on 
the  monkey,  and  energetically  prodding  the  bear  with  a 
handspike  to  make  him  growl.  The  noise  of  the  offended 
animal  as  he  strove  to  get  through  the  bars  of  his  cage  was 
terrific,  and  the  girl  was  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  it,  when 
she  became  aware  of  a  louder  noise  still,  and,  turning 
round,  saw  the  seamen  at  the  windlass. 

"  Why,  what  are  they  doing  ?  "  she  deman.ded,  "  getting 
up  anchor  ? " 

"  Ahoy,  there  1 "  shouted  Hezekiah  sternly.  "  What  are 
you  doing  with  that  windlass  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  the  anchor  peeped  over  the  edge  of  the  bows, 
and  one  of  the  seamen  running  past  them  took  the  helm. 

"Now  then,"  shouted  the  fellow,  "stand  by.  Look 
lively  there  with  them  sails." 

Obeying  a  light  touch  of  the  helm,  the  schooner's  bow- 
sprit slowly  swung  round  from  the  land,  and  the  crew, 
hauling  lustily  on  the  ropes,  began  to  hoist  the  sails." 

"  What  the  devil  are  you  up  to  ?  "  thundered  the  skipper. 
"  Have  you  all  gone  mad  ?     What  does  it  all  mean  ?  " 

"  It  means,"  said  one  of  the  seamen,  whose  fat,  amiablo 
face  was  marred  by  a  fearful  scowl,  "  that  we  've  got  a  new 
skipper." 


156  MANY   CARGOES 

'*  Good  heavens,  a  mutiny ! "  exclaimed  the  skipper, 
starting  melodramatically  against  the  cage,  and  starting 
hastily  away  again.     "  Where 's  the  mate  ?  " 

"He's  with  us,"  said  another  seaman,  brandishing  his 
sheath  knife,  and  scowling  fearfully.  "He's  our  new 
captain." 

In  confirmation  of  this  the  mate  now  appeared  from 
below  with  an  axe  in  his  hand,  and,  approaching  his 
captain,  roughly  ordered  him  below. 

"  I'll  defend  this  lady  with  my  life,"  cried  Hezekiah,  taking 
the  handspike  from  Kate,  and  raising  it  above  his  head. 

"  Nobody  '11  hurt  a  hair  of  her  beautiful  head,"  said  the 
mate,  with  a  tender  smile. 

"Then  I  yield,"  said  the  skipper,  drawing  himself  up, 
and  delivering  the  handspike  with  the  air  of  a  defeated 
admiral  tendering  his  sword. 

"  Good,"  said  the  mate  briefly,  as  one  of  the  men  took  it. 

"  What ! "  demanded  Miss  Rumbolt  excitedly,  "  aren't 
you  going  to  fight  them  ?     Here,  give  me  the  handspike." 

Before  the  mate  could  interfere,  the  sailor,  with  thought- 
less obedience,  handed  it  over,  and  Miss  Rumbolt  at  once 
tried  to  knock  him  over  the  head.  Being  thwarted  in  this 
design  by  the  man  taking  flight,  she  lost  her  temper 
entirely,  and  bore  down  like  a  hurricane  on  the  remaining 
members  of  the  crew  who  were  just  approaching. 

They  scattered  at  once,  and  ran  up  the  rigging  like  cats, 
and  for  a  few  moments  the  girl  held  the  deck;  then  the 
mate  crept  up  behind  her,  and  with  the  air  of  a  man  whose 
job  exactly  suited  him,  clasped  her  tightly  round  the  waist, 
while  one  of  the  seamen  disarmed  her. 

"  You  must  both  go  below  till  we  've  settled  what  to  do 
with  you,"  said  the  mate,  reluctantly  releasing  her. 

With  a  wistful  glance  at  the  handspike,  the  girl  walked  to 
the  cabin,  followed  slowly  by  the  skipper. 


AN  ELABORATE  ELOPEMENT  157 

"This  is  a  bad  business,"  said  the  latter,  shaking  his 
head  solemnly,  as  the  indignant  Miss  Rumbolt  seated 
herself. 

"Don't  talk  to  me,  you  coward  I"  said  the  girl  ener- 
getically. 

The  skipper  started. 

"  /  made  three  of  'em  run,"  said  Miss  Rumbolt,  "  and 
you  did  nothing.  You  just  stood  still,  and  let  them  take 
the  ship.     I  'm  ashamed  of  you." 

The  skipper's  defence  was  interrupted  by  a  hoarse  voice 
shouting  to  them  to  come  on  deck,  where  they  found  the 
mutinous  crew  gathered  aft  round  the  mate.  The  girl  cast 
a  look  at  the  shore,  which  was  now  dim  and  indistinct,  and 
turned  somewhat  pale  as  the  serious  nature  of  her  position 
forced  itself  upon  her. 

"  Lewis,"  said  the  mate. 

"  Well,"  growled  the  skipper. 

"  This  ship 's  going  in  the  lace  and  brandy  trade,  and  if  so 
be  as  you're  sensible  you  can  go  with  it  as  mate,  d'ye 
hear?" 

"  An'  s'pose  I  do ;  what  about  the  lady  ? "  inquired  the 
captain, 

"You  and  the  lady '11  have  to  get  spliced,"  said  the 
mate  sternly.  "  Then  there  '11  be  no  tales  told.  A 
Scotch  marriage  is  as  good  as  any,  and  we  '11  just  lay  off 
and  put  you  ashore,  and  you  can  get  tied  up  as  right 
as  ninepence." 

"  Marry  a  coward  like  that  ?  "  demanded  Miss  Rumbolt, 
with  spirit ;  "not  if  I  know  it.  Why,  I  'd  sooner  marry  that 
old  man  at  the  helm." 

"  Old  Bill 's  got  three  wives  a'ready  to  my  sartin  know- 
ledge," spoke  up  one  of  the  sailors.     "The  lady's  got  to 
marry  Cap'n  Lewis,  so  don't  let 's  have  no  fuss  about  it." 
"  I  won't,"  said  the  lady,  stamping  violently. 


158  MANY  CARGOES 

The  mutineers  appeared  to  be  in  a  dilemma,  and, 
following  the  example  of  the  mate,  scratched  their  heads 
thoughtfully. 

"We  thought  you  liked  him,"  said  the  mate,  at  last, 
feebly. 

"  You  had  no  business  to  think,"  said  Miss  Rumbolt 
"You  are  bad  men,  and  you'll  all  be  hung,  every  one  of 
you ;  I  shall  come  and  see  it." 

"The  cap'n's  welcome  to  her  for  me,"  murmured  the 
helmsman  in  a  husky  whisper  to  the  man  next  to  him. 
"The  vixen!" 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  mate.  "  If  you  won't,  you 
won't.  This  end  of  the  ship '11  belong  to  you  after  eight 
o'clock  of  a  night.  Lewis,  you  must  go  for'ard  with  the 
men." 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  me  after?" 
inquired  the  fair  prisoner. 

The  seven  men  shrugged  their  shoulders  helplessly,  and 
Hezekiah,  looking  depressed,  Ut  his  pipe,  and  went  and 
leaned  over  the  side. 

The  day  passed  quietly.  The  orders  were  given  by  the 
mate,  and  Hezekiah  lounged  moodily  about,  a  prisoner  at 
large.  At  eight  o'clock  Miss  Rumbolt  was  given  the  key 
of  the  state-room,  and  the  men  who  were  not  in  the  watch 
went  below. 

The  morning  broke  fine  and  clear  with  a  light  breeze, 
which,  towards  mid-day,  dropped  entirely,  and  the  schooner 
lay  rocking  lazily  on  a  sea  of  glassy  smoothness.  The  sun 
beat  fiercely  down,  bringing  the  fresh  paint  on  the  taffrail 
up  in  blisters,  and  sorely  trying  the  tempers  of  the  men 
who  were  doing  odd  jobs  on  deck. 

The  cabin,  where  the  two  victims  of  a  mutinous  crew 
had  retired  for  coolness,  got  more  and  more  stuffy,  until  at 
length  even  the  scorching  deck  seemed  preferable,  and  the 


AN   ELABORATE   ELOPEMENT  159 

girl,  with  a  faint  hope  of  finding  a  shady  corner,  went 
languidly  up  the  companion-ladder. 

For  some  time  the  skipper  sat  alone,  pondering  gloomily 
over  the  state  of  affairs  as  he  smoked  his  short  pipe.  He 
was  aroused  at  length  from  his  apathy  by  the  sound  of  the 
companion  being  noisily  closed,  while  loud  frightened  cries 
and  hurrying  footsteps  on  deck  announced  that  something 
extraordinary  was  happening.  As  he  rose  to  his  feet  he  was 
confronted  by  Kate  Rumbolt,  who,  panting  and  excited, 
waved  a  big  key  before  him. 

"  I  've  done  it,"  she  cried,  her  eyes  sparkling. 

"  Done  what  ?  "  shouted  the  mystified  skipper. 

"  Let  the  bear  loose,"  said  the  girl.  "  Ha,  ha  1  you 
should  have  seen  them  run.  You  should  have  seen  the  fat 
sailor ! " 

"  Let  the — phew — let  the Good  heavens  I  here 's  ft 

pretty  kettle  of  fish  ! "  he  choked. 

"  Listen  to  them  shouting,"  cried  the  exultant  Kate, 
clapping  her  hands.     "  Just  Usten." 

"Those  shouts  are  from  aloft,"  said  Hezekiah  sternly, 
"  where  you  and  I  ought  to  be." 

"  I  've  closed  the  companion,"  said  the  girl  reassuringly. 

**  Closed  the  companion  ! "  repeated  Hezekiah,  as  he  drew 
his  knife.  "  He  can  smash  it  like  cardboard,  if  the  fit 
akes  him.     Go  in  here." 

He  opened  the  door  of  his  state-room. 

"  Shan't ! "  said  Miss  Rumbolt  politely. 

"  Go  in  at  once  ! "  cried  the  skipper.     "  Quick  with  you." 

"Sha —  "  began  Miss  Rumbolt  again.  Then  she  caught 
his  eye,  and  went  in  like  a  lamb.  "  You  come  too,"  she 
said  prettily. 

"  I  've  got  to  look  after  my  ship  and  my  men,"  said  the 
skipper.  "I  suppose  you  thought  the  ship  would  steer 
itself,  didn't  you  ?  " 


i6e  MANY    CARGOES 

"Mutineers  deserve  to  be  eaten,"  whimpered  Miss 
Rumbolt  piously,  somewhat  taken  aback  by  the  skipper'* 
demeanour. 

Hezekiah  looked  at  her. 

"  They  're  not  mutineers,  Kate,"  he  said  quietly.  "  It 
was  just  a  piece  of  mad  folly  of  mine.  They  're  as  honest 
a  set  of  old  sea  dogs  as  ever  breathed,  and  I  only  hope 
they  are  all  safe  up  aloft.  I  'm  going  to  lock  you  in  ;  but 
don't  be  frightened,  it  shan't  hurt  you." 

He  slammed  the  door  on  her  protests,  and  locked  it,  and, 
slipping  the  key  of  the  cage  in  his  pocket,  took  a  firm  grip 
of  his  knife,  and,  running  up  the  steps,  gained  the  deck. 
Then  his  breath  came  more  freely,  for  the  mate,  who  was 
standing  a  little  way  up  the  fore  rigging,  after  tempting  the 
bear  with  his  foot,  had  succeeded  in  dropping  a  noose  over 
its  head.  The  brute  made  a  furious  attempt  to  extricate 
itself,  but  the  men  hurried  down  with  other  lines,  and  in  a 
short  space  of  time  the  bear  presented  much  the  same 
appearance  as  the  lion  in  yEsofs  Fables^  and  was  dragged 
and  pushed,  a  heated  and  indignant  mass  of  fur,  back  to 
its  cage. 

Having  locked  up  one  prisoner  the  skipper  went  below 
and  released  the  other,  who  passed  quickly  from  a  some- 
what hysterical  condition  to  one  of  such  haughty  disdain 
tliat  the  captain  was  thoroughly  cowed,  and  stood  humbly 
aside  to  let  her  pass. 

Tiie  fat  seaman  was  standing  in  front  of  the  cage  as  she 
reached  it,  and  regarding  the  bear  with  much  satisfaction 
until  Katr  sidled  up  to  him,  and  begged  him,  as  a  personal 
favour,  tt  go  in  the  cage  and  undo  it. 

"  Undo  it !  Why  he  'd  kill  me  1 "  gasped  the  fat  seaman, 
aghast  at  such  simplicity. 

"  I  don't  think  he  would,"  said  his  tormenter,  with  a 
bewitching  smile ;  "  and  I  '11  wear  a  lock  of  your  hair  all  my 


AN   ELABORATE   ELOPEMENT  i6i 

life  if  you  do.     But  you'd  better  give  it  to  me  before  you 
go  in." 

"  I  ain't  going  in,"  said  the  fat  sailor  shortly. 

"  Not  for  me  ?  "  queried  Kate  archly. 

"  Not  for  fifty  like  you,"  replied  the  old  man  firmly. 
"He  nearly  had  me  when  he  was  loose.  I  can't  think 
how  he  got  out." 

"  Why,  I  let  him  out,"  said  Miss  Rumbolt  airily.  "  Just 
for  a  little  run.  How  would  you  like  to  be  shut  up  all 
day  ? " 

The  sailor  was  just  going  to  tell  her  with  more  fluency 
than  politeness  when  he  was  interrupted. 

"  That'll  do,"  said  the  skipper,  who  had   come  behind 
them.     "  Go  for'ard,  you.     There's   been  enough  of  this' 
fooling  ;  the  lady  thought  you  had  taken  the  ship.     Thomp- 
son, I'll   take    the    helm ;  there's  a   little    wind   coming. 
Stand  by  there." 

He  walked  aft  and  relieved  the  steersman,  awkwardly 
conscious  that  the  men  were  becoming  more  and  more 
interested  in  the  situation,  and  also  that  Kate  could  hear 
some  of  their  remarks.  As  he  pondered  over  the  subject, 
and  tried  to  think  of  a  way  out  of  it,  the  cause  of  all  the 
trouble  came  and  stood  by  him. 

"  Did  my  father  know  of  this  ?  "  she  inquired. 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  did  exactly,"  said  the  skipper 
Uneasily.  "  I  just  told  him  not  to  expect  you  back  that 
night." 

"  And  what  did  he  say  ?  "  said  she. 

"Said  he  wouldn't  sit  up,"  said  the  skipper,  grinning, 
despite  himself. 

Kate  drew  a  breath  the  length  of  which  boded  no  good 
to  her  parent,  and  looked  over  the  side. 

"  I  was  afraid  of  that  traveller  chap  from  Ipswich,"  said 
Hezekiah,  after  a  pause.     "  Your  father  told  me  he  was. 

M 


i62  MANY   CARGOES 

hanging  round  you  again,  so  I  thought  I — well,  I  was  a 
blamed  fool  anyway." 

"  See  how  ridiculous  you  have  made  me  look  before 
all  these  men,"  said  the  girl  angrily. 

"  They've  been  with  me  for  years,"  said  Hezekiah 
apologetically,  "  and  the  mate  said  it  was  a  magnificent 
idea.  He  quite  raved  about  it,  he  did.  I  wouldn't  have 
done  it  with  some  crews,  but  we've  had  some  dirty  times 
together,  and  they've  stood  by  me  well.  But  of  course 
that's  nothing  to  do  with  you.  It's  been  an  adventure 
I'm  very  sorry  for,  very." 

" A  pretty  safe  adventure  for  you"  said  the  girl  scorn- 
fully. "  You  didn't  risk  much.  Look  here,  I  like  brave 
men.  If  you  go  in  the  cage  and  undo  that  bear,  I'll 
marry  you.     That's  what  /call  an  adventure." 

"  Smith,"  called  the  skipper  quietly,  "  come  and  take 
the  helm  a  bit." 

The  seaman  obeyed,  and  Lewis,  accompanied  by  the 
girl,  walked  forward. 

At  the  bear's  cage  he  stopped,  and,  fumbling  in  his 
pocket  for  the  key,  steadily  regarded  the  brute  as  it  lay 
gnashing  its  teeth,  and  trying  in  vain  to  bite  the  ropes 
which  bound  it. 

"  You're  afraid,"  said  the  girl  tauntingly ;  "  you're  quite 
white." 

The  captain  made  no  reply,  but  eyed  her  so  steadily  that 
her  gaze  fell.  He  drew  the  key  from  his  pocket  and 
inserted  it  in  the  huge  lock,  and  was  just  turning  it,  when  a 
soft  arm  was  drawn  through  his,  and  a  soft  voice  murmured 
sweetly  in  his  ear,  "  Never  mind  about  the  old  bear." 

And  he  did  not  mind. 


THE   COOK   OF   THE  "GANNET" 


*'   A    LL  ready  for  sea,  and  no   cook,"  said   the  mate  of 

Jr\,  the    schooner  Gannet,    gloomily.        "  What's   be- 
come of  all  the  cooks  I  can't  think." 

"  They  most  on  'em  ship  as  mates  now,"  said  the 
skipper,  grinning.  "  But  you  needn't  worry  about  that ; 
I've  got  one  coming  aboard  to-night.  I'm  trying  a  new 
experiment,  George." 

"  I  once  knew  a  chemist  who  tried  one,"  said  George, 
*'  an'  it  blew  him  out  of  the  winder ;  but  I  never  heard  o* 
shipmasters  trying  'em," 

''There's  all  kinds  of  experiments,"  rejoined  the  other, 
"  What  do  you  say  to  a  lady  cook,  George  ?  " 

"  A  whatV^  asked  the  mate  in  tones  of  strong  amaze- 
ment.    "What,  aboard  a  schooner?" 

"Why  not?"  inquired  the  skipper  warmly;  "why  not? 
There's  plenty  of  'em  ashore— why  not  aboard  ship  ?  " 

"  'Tain't  proper,  for  one  thing,"  said  the  mate  virtuously. 

"I  shouldn't  have  expected  you  to  have  thought  o' 
that,"  said  the  other  unkindly.  "  Besides,  they  have 
stewardesses  on  big  ships,  an'  what's  the  difference? 
She's  a  sort  o'  relation  o'  mine,  too — cousin  o'  my  wife's, 
a  widder  woman,  and  a  good  sensible  age,  an'  as  the 
doctor  told  her  to  take  a  sea  voyage  for  the  benefit  of  her 
'elth,  she's  coming  with  me  for  six  months  as  cook.  She'll 
take  her  meals  with  us ;  but,  o'  course,  the  men  are  not 
to  know  of  the  relationship." 

163 


1 64  MANY  CARGOES 

"What  about  sleeping  accommodation?"  inquired  the 
mate,  with  the  air  of  a  man  putting  a  poser. 

"I've  thought  o'  that,"  replied  the  other;  "it's  all 
arranged." 

The  mate,  with  an  uncompromising  air,  waited  for 
information. 

"She — she's  to  have  your  berth,  George,"  continued 
the  skipper,  without  looking  at  him.  "  You  can  have  that 
nice,  large,  airy  locker." 

"  One  what  the  biscuit  and  onions  kep'  in  ?  "  inquired 
George. 

The  skipper  nodded. 

"  I  think,  if  it 's  all  the  same  to  you,"  said  the  mate,  with 
laboured  politeness,  "  I  '11  wait  till  the  butter  keg 's  empty, 
and  crowd  into  that." 

"  It 's  no  use  your  making  yourself  unpleasant  about  it," 
said  the  skipper,  "  not  a  bit.  The  arrangements  are  made 
now,  and  here  she  comes." 

Following  his  gaze,  the  mate  looked  up  as  a  stout, 
comely-looking  woman  of  middle  age  came  along  the  jetty, 
followed  by  the  watchman  staggering  under  a  box  of 
enormous  proportions. 

"  Jim  ! "  cried  the  lady. 

"Halloa!"  cried  the  skipper,  starting  uneasily  at  the 
title.     "  We  've  been  expecting  you  for  some  time." 

"  There 's  a  row  on  with  the  cabman,"  said  the  lady 
calmly.  "This  silly  old  man  "—the  watchman  snorted 
fiercely—"  let  the  box  go  through  the  window  getting  it  off 
the  top,  and  the  cabman  wants  me  to  pay.  He 's  out  there 
using  language,  and  he  keeps  calUng  me  grandma — I  want 
you  to  have  him  locked  up." 

"  Come  down  below  now,"  said  the  skipper ;  "  we  'II  see 
about  the  cab.  Mrs.  Blossom— my  mate.  George,  go  and 
send  that  cab  away." 


THE   COOK   OF  THE   "GANNET"  165 

Mrs.  Blossom,  briefly  acknowledging  the  introduction, 
followed  the  skipper  to  the  cabin,  while  the  mate,  growling 
under  his  breath,  went  out  to  enter  into  a  verbal  contest 
in  which  he  was  from  the  first  hopelessly  overmatched. 

The  new  cook,  being  somewhat  fatigued  with  hef 
journey,  withdrew  at  an  early  hour,  and  the  sun  was  well 
up  when  she  appeared  on  deck  next  morning.  The 
wharves  and  warehouses  of  the  night  before  had  dis- 
appeared, and  the  schooner,  under  a  fine  spread  of  canvas, 
was  just  passing  Tilbury. 

"There's  one  thing  I  must  put  a  stop  to,"  said  the 
skipper,  as  he  and  the  mate,  after  an  admirably-cooked 
breakfast,  stood  together  talking.  "The  men  seem  to  be 
hanging  round  that  galley  too  much." 

"What  can  you  expect?"  demanded  the  mate.  "They've 
all  got  their  Sunday  clothes  on  too,  pretty  dears." 

"Hi,  you  Bill!"  cried  the  skipper.  "What  are  you 
doing  there  ?  " 

"Lending  cook  a  hand  with  the  saucepans,  sir,"  said 
Bill,  an  oakum-bearded  man  of  sixty. 

"There  ain't  no  call  for  'im  to  come  'ere  at  all,  sir," 
shouted  another  seaman,  putting  his  head  out  of  the  galley. 
"  Me  an'  cook 's  lifting  'em  beautiful." 

"  Come  out,  both  of  you,  or  I  'U  start  you  with  a  rope  I  * 
roared  the  irritated  commander. 

"What's  the  matter?"  inquired  Mrs.  Blossom.  "They're 
not  doing  any  harm." 

"I  can't  have  'em  there,"  said  the  skipper  gruffly. 
"They've  got  other  things  to  do." 

"I  must  have  some  assistance  with  that  boiler  and  the 
saucepans,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom  decidedly,  "so  don't  you 
interfere  with  what  don't  concern  you,  Jimmy." 

"That's  mutiny,"  whispered  the  horrified  mate.  "Sheer, 
rank  mutiny." 


l66  MANY  CARGOES 

"  She  don't  know  no  better,"  whispered  the  other  back. 
"Cook,  you  mustn't  talk  like  that  to  the  cap'n — what  me 
and  the  mate  tell  you  you  must  do.  You  don't  understand 
yet,  but  it  '11  come  easier  by-and-bye." 

"  Will  it,"  demanded  Mrs.  Blossom  loudly;  "will  it? 
I  don't  think  it  will.  How  dare  you  talk  to  me  like  that, 
Jim  Harris  ?    You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself  1 " 

"  My  name 's  Cap'n  Harris,"  said  the  skipper  stiffly. 

"Well,  Captain  Harris,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom  scornfully; 
"and  what '11  happen  if  I  don't  do  as  you  and  that  other 
shamefaced-looking  man  tell  me  ?  " 

"  We  hope  it  won't  come  to  that,"  said  Harris,  with  quiet 
dignity,  as  he  paused  at  the  companion.  "  But  the  mate 's 
in  charge  just  now,  and  I  warn  you  he 's  a  very  severe  man. 
Don't  stand  no  nonsense,  George." 

With  these  brave  words  the  skipper  disappeared  below, 
and  the  mate,  after  one  glance  at  the  dauntless  and 
imposing  attitude  of  Mrs.  Blossom,  walked  to  the  side  and 
became  engrossed  in  a  passing  steamer.  A  hum  of 
wondering  admiration  arose  from  the  crew,  and  the  cook, 
thoroughly  satisfied  with  her  victory,  returned  to  the  scene 
of  her  labours. 

For  the  next  twenty-four  hours  Mrs.  Blossom  reigned 
supreme,  and  performed  the  cooking  for  the  vessel,  assisted 
by  five  ministering  seamen.  The  weather  was  fine,  and 
the  wind  light,  and  the  two  officers  were  at  their  wits'  end 
to  find  jobs  for  the  men. 

"Why  don't  you  put  your  foot  down,"  grumbled  the 
mate,  as  a  burst  of  happy  laughter  came  from  the  direction 
of  the  galley.  "The  idea  of  men  laughing  like  that 
aboard  ship ;  they  're  carrying  on  just  as  though  we  wasn't 
here." 

"Will  you  stand  by  me?"  demanded  the  skipper,  pale 
but  determined. 


THE  COOK   OF  THE   "GANNET"         167 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  said  the  other  indignantly. 

"  Now,  my  lads,"  said  Harris,  stepping  forward,  "  I  can't 
have  you  chaps  hanging  round  the  galley  all  day;  you're 
getting  in  cook's  way  and  hindering  her.  Just  get  your 
knives  out ;  I  '11  have  the  masts  scraped." 

"You  just  stay  where  you  are,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom. 
"When  they're  in  my  way,  I'll  soon  let  'em  know." 

"  Did  you  hear  what  I  said  ?  "  thundered  the  skipper,  as 
the  men  hesitated. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  muttered  the  crew,  moving  off. 

"  How  dare  you  interfere  with  me  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Blossom 
hotly,  as  she  realised  the  defeat.  **  Ever  since  I  've  been 
on  this  ship  you  've  been  trying  to  aggravate  me.  I  wonder 
the  men  don't  hit  you,  you  nasty,  ginger-whiskered  little  man." 

"Go  on  with  your  work,"  said  the  skipper,  fondly  stroking 
the  maligned  whiskers. 

"  Don't  you  talk  to  me,  Jim  Harris,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom, 
quivering  with  wrath.  "  Don't  you  give  me  none  of  your 
airs.  Who  borrozved  five  pounds  from  fny  poor  dead  husband 
just  before  he  died,  and  never  paid  it  back  1 " 

"  Go  on  with  your  work,"  repeated  the  skipper,  with  pale 
lips. 

"  Whose  uncle  Benjamin  had  three  weeks  J  ^^  demanded 
Mrs.  Blossom  darkly.  "  Whose  uncle  Joseph  had  to  go 
abroad  without  stopping  to  pack  up  1 " 

The  skipper  made  no  reply,  but  the  anxiety  <A  the 
crew  to  have  these  vital  problems  solved  was  so  manifest 
that  he  turned  his  back  on  the  virago  and  went  towards 
the  mate,  who  at  that  moment  dipped  hurriedly  to  escape 
a  wet  dish-clouL  The  two  men  regarded  each  other,  pale 
with  anxiety. 

"Now,  you  just  move  off,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom,  shaking 
another  clout  at  them.  "  I  won't  have  you  hanging  about 
my  galley.     Keep  to  your  own  end  of  the  ship." 


1 68  MANY  CARGOES 

The  skipper  drew  himself  up  haughtily,  but  the  effect 
was  somewhat  marred  by  one  eye,  which  dwelt  persistently 
on  the  clout,  and  after  a  short  inward  struggle  he  moved 
off,  accompanied  by  the  mate.  Wellington  himself  would 
have  been  nonplussed  by  a  wet  cloth  in  the  hands  of  a 
fearless  woman. 

"  She  '11  just  have  to  have  her  own  way  till  we  get  to 
Llanelly,"  said  the  indignant  skipper,  "  and  then  I  '11  send 
her  home  by  train  and  ship  another  cook.  I  knew  she'd 
got  a  temper,  but  I  didn't  know  it  was  like  this.  She's 
the  last  woman  that  sets  foot  on  my  ship — that 's  all  she 's 
done  for  her  sex." 

In  happy  ignorance  of  her  impending  doom  Mrs. 
Blossom  went  blithely  about  her  duties,  assisted  by  a 
crew  whose  admiration  for  her  increased  by  leaps  and 
bounds;  and  the  only  thing  which  ventured  to  interfere 
with  her  was  a  stiff  Atlantic  roll,  which  they  encountered 
upon  rounding  the  Land's  End. 

The  first  intimation  Mrs.  Blossom  had  of  it  was  the 
falling  of  small  utensils  in  the  galley.  After  she  had 
picked  them  up  and  replaced  them  several  times,  she 
went  out  to  investigate,  and  discovered  that  the  schooner 
was  dipping  her  bows  to  big  green  waves,  and  rolling,  with 
much  straining  and  creaking,  from  side  to  side.  A  fine 
spray,  which  broke  over  the  bows  and  flew  over  the 
vessel,  drove  her  back  into  the  galley,  which  had  suddenly 
developed  an  unaccountable  stuffiness;  but,  though  the 
crew  to  a  man  advised  her  to  lie  down  and  have  a  cup 
of  tea,  she  repelled  them  with  scorn,  and  with  pale  face 
and  compressed  lips  stuck  to  her  post. 

Two  days  later  they  made  fast  to  the  quay  at  Llanelly, 
and  half-an  hour  later  the  skipper  called  the  mate  dowa 
to  the  cabin,  and,  handing  him  some  money,  told  him  li 
pay  the  cook  off  and  ship  another.     The  mate  declined. 


THE  COOK   OF  THE   "GANNET"         169 

"  You  obey  orders,"  said  the  skipper  fiercely,  "  else  you 
an'  me  '11  quarrel." 

"  I  've  got  a  wife  an'  family,"  urged  the  mate. 

"  Pooh  ! "  said  the  skipper.     "  Rubbish  !  " 

"And  uncles,"  added  the  mate  rebelliously. 

"Very  good,"  said  the  skipper,  glaring.  ''Well  ship 
the  other  cook  first  and  let  him  settle  it.  After  all,  I  don't 
see  why  we  should  fight  his  battles  for  him." 

The  mate,  being  agreeable,  went  off  at  once;  and  when 
Mrs.  Blossom,  after  a  little  shopping  ashore,  returned  to 
the  Gannet  she  found  the  galley  in  the  possession  of  one 
of  the  fattest  cooks  that  ever  broke  ship's  biscuit. 

"Hullo!"  said  she,  realising  the  situation  at  a  glance, 
"  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  Cooking,"  said  the  other  gruffly.  Then,  catching  sight 
of  his  questioner,  he  smiled  amorously  and  winked  at  her. 

"  Don't  you  wink  at  me,"  said  Mrs.  Blossom  wrathfuUy. 
"  Come  out  of  that  galley." 

"There's  room  for  both,"  said  the  new  cook  persuasively. 
"  Come  in  an'  put  your  'ed  on  my  shoulder." 

Utterly  unprepared  for  this  mode  of  attack,  Mrs. 
Blossom  lost  her  nerve,  and,  instead  of  storming  the 
galley,  as  she  had  fully  intended,  drew  back  and  retired 
to  the  cabin,  where  she  found  a  short  note  from  the 
skipper,  enclosing  her  pay,  and  requesting  her  to  take 
the  train  home.  After  reading  this  she  went  ashore 
again,  returning  presently  with  a  big  bundle,  which  she 
placed  on  the  cabin  table  in  front  of  Harris  and  the 
mate,  who  had  just  begun  tea. 

"  I  'm  not  going  home  by  train,"  said  she,  opening  the 
bundle,  which  contained  a  spirit  kettle  and  provisions. 
*'  I  'm  going  back  with  you ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  be 
beholden  to  you  for  anything — I'm  going  to  board 
myself." 


I70  MANY   CARGOES 

After  this  declaration  she  made  herself  tea  and  sat 
down.  The  meal  proceeded  in  silence,  though  occasionally 
she  astonished  her  companions  by  little  mysterious  laughs, 
which  caused  them  slight  uneasiness.  As  she  made  no 
hostile  demonstration,  however,  they  became  reassured, 
and  congratulated  themselves  upon  the  success  of  their 
manoeuvre. 

"  How  long  shall  we  be  gelting  back  to  London,  do  you 
think  ?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Blossom  at  last 

*•  We  shall  probably  sail  Tuesday  night,  and  it  may  be 
anything  from  six  days  upwards,"  answered  the  skipper. 
•'If  this  wind  holds  it'll  probably  be  upwards." 

To  his  great  concern  Mrs.  Blossom  put  her  handkerchief 
over  her  face,  and,  shaking  with  suppressed  laughter,  rose 
from  the  table  and  left  the  cabin. 

The  couple  left  eyed  each  other  wonderingly. 

"Did  I  say  anything  pertickler  funny,  George?"  inquired 
the  skipper,  after  some  deliberation. 

*'  Didn't  strike  me  so,"  said  the  mate  carelessly ;  **  I 
expect  she's  thought  o'  something  else  to  say  about  your 
family.  She  wouldn't  be  so  good-tempered  as  all  that  for 
nothing.     I  feel  cur'ous  to  know  what  it  is." 

"  If  you  paid  more  attention  to  your  own  business,"  said 
the  skipper,  his  choler  rising,  "you'd  get  on  better.  A 
mate  who  was  a  good  seaman  wouldn't  ha'  let  a  cook  go  on 
like  this — it's  not  discipline." 

He  went  off  in  dudgeon,  and  a  coolness  sprang  up 
between  them,  which  lasted  until  the  bustle  of  starting 
in  the  small  hours  of  Wednesday  morning. 

Once  under  way  the  day  passed  uneventfully,  the 
schooner  crawling  sluggishly  down  the  coast  of  Wales, 
and,  when  the  skipper  turned  in  that  night,  it  was  with 
the  pleasant  conviction  that  l\Trs  Blossom  had  shot  her 
last  bolt,  and,  like  a  sensible  woman,  was  going  to  acc^ 


THE  COOK  OF  THE  "GANNET"         171 

her  defeat.  From  this  pleasing  idea  he  was  aroused 
suddenly  by  the  watch  stamping  heavily  on  the  deck 
overhead. 

"What's  up?"  cried  the  skipper,  darting  up  the  com- 
panion-ladder, josded  by  the  mate. 

"I  dunno,"  said  Bill,  who  was  at  the  wheel,  shakily. 
"  Mrs.  Blossom  come  up  on  deck  a  little  while  ago,  and 
since  then  there 's  been  three  or  four  heavy  splashes." 

"She  can't  have  gone  overboard,"  said  the  skipper,  in 
tones  to  which  he  manfully  strove  to  impart  a  semblance 
of  anxiety.  "No,  here  she  is.  Anything  wrong,  Mrs. 
Blossom  ?  " 

"  Not  so  far  as  I  'm  concerned,"  replied  the  lady,  passing 
him  and  going  below. 

"  You  've  been  dreaming,  Bill,"  said  the  skipper  sharply. 

"I  ain't,"  said  Bill  stoutly.  "I  tell  you  I  heard  splashes. 
It's  my  belief  she  coaxed  the  cook  up  on  deck,  and  then 
shoved  him  overboard.  A  woman  could  do  anything  with 
a  man  like  that  cook." 

"  I  '11  soon  see,"  said  the  mate,  and  walking  forward  he 
put  his  head  down  the  fore-scuttle  and  yelled  for  the  cook. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir,"  answered  a  voice  sleepily,  while  the  other 
men  started  up  in  their  bunks.     "  Do  you  want  me  ?  " 

"Bill  thinks  somebody  has  gone  overboard,"  said  the 
mate.     "  Are  you  all  here  ?  " 

In  answer  to  this  the  mystified  men  turned  out  all 
standing,  and  came  on  deck  yawning  and  rubbing  their 
eyes,  while  the  mate  explained  the  situation.  Before  he 
had  finished  the  cook  suddenly  darted  off  to  the  galley, 
and  the  next  moment  the  forlorn  cry  of  a  bereaved  soul 
broke  on  their  startled  ears. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  cried  the  mate. 

"  Come  here  ! "  shouted  the  cook,  "  look  at  this  I " 

He  struck  a  match  and  held  it  aloft  in  his  shaking 


172  MANY   CARGOES 

fingers,  and  the  men,  who  were  worked  up  to  a  great 
pitch  of  excitement  and  expected  to  see  something 
ghastly,  after  staring  hard  for  some  time  in  vain,  pro- 
fanely requested  him  to  be  more  explicit. 

"  She's  thrown  all  the  saucepans  and  things  overboard," 
said  the  cook  with  desperate  calmness.  "  This  lid  of  a 
tea  kettle  is  all  that's  left  for  me  to  do  the  cooking  in." 

The  Ga?tnct,  manned  by  seven  famine-stricken  rniso- 
gynists,  reached  London  six  days  later,  the  skipper 
obstinately  refusing  to  put  in  at  an  intermediate  poit 
to  replenish  his  stock  of  hardware.  The  most  he  would 
consent  to  do  was  to  try  and  borrow  from  a  passing 
vessel,  but  the  unseemly  behaviour  of  the  master  of  a 
brig,  who  lost  two  hours  owing  to  their  efforts  to  obtain 
a  saucepan  of  him,  utterly  discouraged  any  further 
attempts  in  that  direction,  and  they  settled  down  to  a  diet 
of  biscuits  and  water,  and  salt  beef  scorched  on  the 
stove. 

Mrs.  Blossom,  unwilling  perhaps  to  witness  their  suffer- 
mgs,  remained  below,  and  when  they  reached  London, 
only  consented  to  land  under  the  supervision  of  a  guard 
ot  honour,  composed  of  all  the  able-bodied  men  on  the 
wharf. 


A   BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE 


IN  the  small  front  parlour  of  No.  3,  Mermaid  Passage^ 
Sunset  Bay,  Jackson  Pepper,  ex-pilot,  sat  in  a  state  of 
indignant  collapse,  tenderly  feeling  a  cheek  on  which  the 
print  of  hasty  fingers  still  lingered. 

The  room,  which  was  in  excellent  order,  showed  no 
signs  of  the  tornado  which  had  passed  through  it,  and 
Jackson  Pepper,  looking  vaguely  round,  was  dimly 
reminded  of  those  tropical  hurricanes  he  had  read  about 
which  would  strike  only  the  objects  in  the  path,  and  leave 
all  others  undisturbed. 

In  this  instance  he  had  been  the  object,  and  the  tornado, 
after  obliterating  him,  had  passed  up  the  small  staircase 
which  led  from  the  room,  leaving  him  listening  anxiously 
to  its  distant  mutterings. 

To  his  great  discomfort  the  storm  showed  signs  of 
coming  up  again,  and  he  had  barely  time  to  effect  an 
appearance  of  easy  unconcern,  which  accorded  but  ill  with 
the  flush  afore-mentioned,  when  a  big,  red-faced  woman 
came  heavily  downstairs  and  burst  into  the  room. 

"You  have  made  me  ill  again,"  she  said  severely,  "and 
now  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  with  your  work.  You  '11  kill 
me  before  you  have  done  with  me  1 " 

The  ex-pilot  shifted  on  his  chair. 

"  You  're  not  fit  to  have  a  wife,"  continued  Mrs.  Pepper, 
"aggravating  them  and  upsetting  them  I  Any  other 
woman  would  have  left  you  long  ago  1 " 

173 


\. 


Y  CARGOES 

"We've  only  been  married  three  months,"  Pepper 
reminded  her. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  I "  said  his  wife ;  "  it  seems  more  like 
a  lifetime ! " 

"  It  seems  a  long  time  to  we,"  said  the  ex-pilot,  plucking 
up  a  little  courage. 

"  That 's  right  1 "  said  his  wife,  striding  over  to  where 
he  sat.  "  Say  you  're  tired  of  me ;  say  you  wish  you  hadn't 
married  me  !  You  coward  !  Ah  !  if  my  poor  first  husband 
was  only  alive  and  sitting  in  that  chair  now  instead  of  you, 
how  happy  I  would  be  !  " 

"  If  he  likes  to  come  and  take  it  he 's  welcome ! "  said 
Pepper ;  "  it 's  my  chair,  and  it  was  my  father's  before  me, 
but  there's  no  man  living  I  would  sooner  give  it  to  than 
your  first.  Ah !  he  knew  what  he  was  about  when  the 
Dolphin  went  down,  he  did.     I  don't  blame  him,  though." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded  his  wife. 

"  It 's  my  belief  that  he  didn't  go  down  with  her,"  said 
Pepper,  crossing  over  to  the  staircase  and  standing  with  his 
hand  on  the  door. 

"Didn't  go  down  with  her?"  repeated  his  wife  scorn- 
fully. "What  became  of  him,  then?  Where's  he  been 
this  thirty  years  ?  " 

"  In  hiding  I "  said  Pepper  spitefully,  and  passed  hastily 
upstairs. 

The  room  above  was  charged  with  memories  of  the  late 
lamented.  His  portrait  in  oils  hung  above  the  mantel- 
piece, smaller  portraits — specimens  of  the  photographer's 
want  of  art — were  scattered  about  the  room,  while  various 
personal  effects,  including  a  mammoth  pair  of  sea-boots, 
stood  in  a  corner.  On  all  these  articles  the  eye  of  Jackson 
Pepper  dwelt  with  an  air  of  chastened  regret 

"  It  'ud  be  a  rum  go  if  he  did  turn  up  after  all,"  he  said 
to  himself  softly,  as  he  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed.     "  I  'vo 


A   BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  175 

heard  of  such  things  in  books.  I  dessay  she'd  be  dis- 
appointed if  she  did  see  him  now.  Thirty  years  makes 
a  bit  of  difference  in  a  man." 

"  Jackson  ! "  cried  his  wife  from  below,  "  I  'm  going  out 
If  you  want  any  dinner  you  can  get  it ;  if  not,  you  can  go 
without  it ! " 

The  front  door  slammed  violently,  and  Jackson,  advanc- 
ing cautiously  to  the  window,  saw  the  form  of  his  wife 
sailing  majestically  up  the  passage.  Then  he  sat  down 
again  and  resumed  his  meditations. 

"  If  it  wasn't  for  leaving  all  my  property  I  'd  go,"  he  said 
gloomily.  "There's  not  a  bit  of  comfort  in  the  place! 
Nag,  nag,  nag,  from  morn  till  night!  Ah,  Cap'n  Budd, 
you  let  me  in  for  a  nice  thing  when  you  went  down  with 
that  boat  of  yours.  Come  back  and  fill  them  boots  again ; 
they  're  too  big  for  me." 

He  rose  suddenly  and  stood  gaping  in  the  centre  of  the 
room,  as  a  mad,  hazy  idea  began  to  form  in  his  brain.  His 
eyes  blinked  and  his  face  grew  white  with  excitement.  He 
pushed  open  the  little  lattice  window,  and  sat  looking 
abstractedly  up  the  passage  on  to  the  bay  beyond.  Then 
he  put  on  his  hat,  and,  deep  in  thought,  went  out. 

He  was  still  thinking  deeply  as  he  boarded  the  train  for 
London  next  morning,  and  watched  Sunset  Bay  from  the 
window  until  it  disappeared  round  the  curve.  So  many 
and  various  were  the  changes  that  flitted  over  his  face  that 
an  old  lady,  whose  seat  he  had  taken,  gave  up  her  intention 
of  apprising  him  of  the  fact,  and  indulged  instead  in  a 
bitter  conversation  with  her  daughter,  of  which  the  erring 
Pepper  was  the  unconscious  object 

In  the  same  preoccupied  fashion  he  got  on  a  Bayswater 
omnibus,  and  waited  patiently  for  it  to  reach  Poplar, 
Strange  changes  in  the  landscape,  not  to  be  accounted  for 
by  the  mere  lapse  of  time,  led  to  explanations,  and  the 


lyS  MANY  CARGOES 

conductor — a  humane  man,  who  said  he  had  got  an  idiot 
boy  at  home — personally  laid  down  the  lines  of  his  tour. 
Two  hours  later  he  stood  in  front  of  a  small  house  painted 
in  many  colours,  and,  ringing  the  bell,  inquired  for  Cap'n 
Crippen. 

In  response  to  his  inquiry,  a  big  man,  with  light  blue 
eyes  and  a  long  grey  beard,  appeared,  and,  recognising  his 
visitor  with  a  grunt  of  surprise,  drew  him  heartily  into 
the  passage  and  thrust  him  into  the  parlour.  He  then 
shook  hands  with  him,  and,  clapping  him  on  the  back, 
bawled  lustily  for  the  small  boy  who  had  opened  the 
door. 

"Pot  o'  stout,  bottle  o'  gin,  and  two  long  pipes,"  said 
he,  as  the  boy  came  to  the  door  and  eyed  the  ex-pilot 
curiously. 

At  all  these  honest  preparations  for  his  welcome  the 
heart  of  Jackson  grew  faint  within  him. 

"  Well,  I  call  it  good  of  you  to  come  all  this  way  to  see 
me,"  said  the  captain,  after  the  boy  had  disappeared ;  "  but 
you  always  was  warm-hearted.  Pepper.  And  how's  the 
missis  ?  " 

"  Shocking ! "  said  Pepper,  with  a  groan. 

"  111  ?  "  inquired  the  captain. 

"Ill-tempered,"  said  Pepper.  "In  fact,  cap'n,  I  don't 
mind  telling  you,  she 's  killing  me — slowly  killing  me  ! " 

"  Pooh  !  "  said  Crippen.  "  Nonsense  I  You  don't  know 
how  to  manage  her ! " 

"  I  thought  perhaps  you  could  advise  me,"  said  the  artful 
Pepper.  "  I  said  to  myself  yesterday,  '  Pepper,  go  and  see 
Cap'n  Crippen.  What  he  don't  know  about  wimmen  and 
their  management  ain't  worth  knowing !  If  there 's  any- 
body can  get  you  out  of  a  hole,  it's  him.  He's  got  the 
power,  and,  what 's  more,  he 's  got  the  will ! ' " 

"What  causes  the  temper?"  inquired  the  captain,  with 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  177 

his  most    judicial  air,   as  he  took  the  liquor   from  his 
messenger  and  carefully  filled  a  couple  of  glasses. 

"It's  natural!"  said  his  friend  ruefully.  "She  calls 
it  having  a  high  spirit  herself.  And  she's  so  generous 
She  's  got  a  married  niece  living  in  the  place,  and  when 
that  gal  comes  round  and  admires  the  things — my  things — 
she  gives  'em  to  her  1  She  gave  her  a  sofa  the  other  day, 
and,  what's  more,  she  made  me  help  the  gal  to  carry  it 
home  I " 

"  Have  you  tried  being  sarcastic  ?  "  inquired  the  captain 
thoughtfully. 

"  I  have,"  said  Pepper,  with  a  shiver.  "  The  other  day 
I  said,  very  nasty,  •  Is  there  anything  else  you  'd  like,  my 
dear  ? '  but  she  didn't  understand  it" 

"  No  ?  "  said  the  captain. 

"No,"  said  Pepper.  "She  said  I  was  very  kind,  and 
she  'd  like  the  clock ;  and,  what 's  more,  she  had  it  too  1 
Red-'aired  hussy ! " 

The  captain  poured  out  some  gin  and  drank  it  slowly 
It  was  evident  he  was  thinking  deeply,  and  that  he  was 
much  affected  by  his  friend's  troubles, 

"There  is  only  one  way  for  me  to  get  clear,"  said 
Pepper,  as  he  finished  a  thrilling  recital  of  his  wrongs, 
"  and  that  is,  to  find  Cap'n  Budd,  her  first." 

"  V\Tiy,  he 's  dead  ! "  said  Crippen,  staring  hard.  "  Don't 
you  waste  your  time  looking  for  him ! " 

"I'm  not  going  to,"  said  Pepper;  "but  here's  his 
portrait.  He  was  a  big  man  like  you;  he  had  blue  eyes 
and  a  straight  handsome  nose,  like  you.  If  he  'd  lived 
to  now  he'd  be  almost  your  age,  and  very  likely  more 
like  you  than  ever.    He  was  a  sailor ;  you  've  been  a  sailor." 

The  captain  stared  at  him  in  bewilderment. 

"He  had  a  wonderful  way  with  wimmen,"  pursued 
Jackson    hastily;    "you've    got    a    wonderful    way   with 

V 


178  MANY  CARGOES 

wimmen.  More  than  that,  you  've  got  the  most  wonderful 
gift  for  acting  I  've  ever  seen.  Ever  since  the  time  when 
you  acted  in  that  barn  at  Bristol  I  *ve  never  seen  any  actor 
I  can  honestly  say  I  *ve  liked — never  !  Look  how  you  can 
imitate  cats — better  than  Henry  Irving  himself !  " 

"  I  never  had  much  chance,  being  at  sea  all  my  life," 
said  Crippen  modestly. 

"  You  've  got  the  gift,"  said  Pepper  impressively.  "  It 
was  born  in  you,  and  you  '11  .ever  leave  off  acting  till  the 
day  of  your  death.  You  couldn't  if  you  tried — you  know 
you  couldn't ! " 

The  captain  smiled  deprecatingly. 

"  Now,  I  want  you  to  do  a  performance  for  my  benefit," 
continued  Pepper.  "  I  want  you  to  act  Cap'n  Budd,  what 
was  lost  in  the  Dolphin  thirty  years  ago.  There 's  only  one 
man  in  England  I  'd  trust  with  the  part,  and  that 's  you." 

"Act  Cap'n  Budd!"  gasped  the  astonished  Crippen, 
putting  down  his  glass  and  staring  at  his  friend. 

•'  The  part  is  written  here,"  said  the  ex-pilot,  producing 
a  note-book  from  his  breast  pocket  and  holding  it  out  to 
his  friend.  I  've  been  keeping  a  log  day  by  day  of  all  the 
things  she  said  about  him,  in  the  hopes  of  catching  her 
tripping,  but  I  never  did.  There 's  notes  of  his  family,  his 
ships,  and  a  lot  of  silly  things  he  used  to  say,  which  she 
thinks  funny," 

"  I  couldn't  do  it  I "  said  the  captain  seriously,  as  he  took 
the  book. 

••  You  could  do  it  if  you  liked,"  said  Pepper.  "  Besides, 
think  what  a  spree  it  '11  be  for  you.  Learn  it  by  heart,  then 
come  down  and  claim  her.     Her  name 's  Martha." 

"What  good  'ud  it  do  you  if  I  did?"  inquired  the 
captain,     ♦'  She  'd  soon  find  out  I " 

"You  come  down  to  Sunset  Bay,"  said  Pepper,  em- 
phasising his  remarks  with  his  forefinger;  "you  claim  your 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  179 

wife;  you  allude  carefully  to  the  things  set  down  in  this 
book;  I  give  Martha  back  to  you  and  bless  you  both. 
Then  " 

*'  Then  what  ?  "  inquired  Crippen  anxiously. 

"  You  disappear ! "  concluded  Pepper  triumphantly ; 
"and,  of  course,  believing  her  first  husband  is  alive,  she 
has  to  leave  me.  She's  a  very  particular  woman;  and, 
besides  that,  I  'd  take  care  to  let  the  neighbours  know. 
I'm  happy,  you're  happy,  and,  if  she's  not  happy,  why, 
she  don't  deserve  to  be." 

"  I  '11  think  it  over,"  said  Crippen,  "  and  write  and  let 
you  know." 

"Make  up  your  mind  now,"  urged  Pepper,  reaching 
over  and  patting  him  encouragingly  upon  the  shoulder. 
"  If  you  promise  to  do  it,  the  thing 's  as  good  as  done. 
Lord !  I  think  I  see  you  now,  coming  in  at  that  door  and 
surprising  her.     Talk  about  acting  ! " 

"  Is  she  what  you  'd  call  a  good-looking  woman  ?  * 
inquired  Crippen. 

"Very  handsome!"  said  Pepper,  looking  out  of  the 
window. 

"  I  couldn't  do  it ! "  said  the  captain.  "  It  wouldn't  be 
right  and  fair  to  her." 

"  I  don't  see  that ! "  said  Pepper.  "  I  never  ought  to 
have  married  her  without  being  certain  her  first  was 
dead.  It  ain't  right,  Crippen;  say  what  you  like,  it  ain't 
right!" 

••  If  you  put  it  that  way,"  said  the  captain  hesitatingly. 

"  Have  some  more  gin,"  said  the  artful  pilot. 

The  captain  had  some  more,  and,  what  with  flattery  and 
gin,  combined  with  the  pleadings  of  his  friend,  began  to 
consider  the  affair  more  favourably.  Pepper  stuck  to  his 
guns,  and  used  them  so  well  that  when  the  captain  saw  him 
off  that  evening  he  was  pledged  up  to  the  hilt  to  come 


l8o  MANY   CARGOES 

down  to  Sunset  Bay  and  personate  the  late  Captain  Budd 
on  the  following  Thursday. 

The  ex-pilot  passed  the  intervening  days  in  a  sort  of 
trance,  from  which  he  only  emerged  to  take  nourishment, 
or  answer  the  scoldings  of  his  wife.  On  the  eventful 
Thursday,  however,  his  mood  changed,  and  he  went  about 
in  such  a  state  of  suppressed  excitement  that  he  could 
scarcely  keep  still. 

"  Lor*  bless  me ! "  snapped  Mrs.  Pepper,  as  he  slowly 
perambulated  the  parlour  that  afternoon.  "  What  ails  the 
man  ?    Can't  you  keep  still  for  five  minutes  ?  " 

The  ex-pilot  stopped  and  eyed  her  solemnly,  but,  ere  he 
could  reply,  his  heart  gave  a  great  bound,  for,  from  behind 
the  geraniums  which  filled  the  window,  he  saw  the  face  of 
Captain  Crippen  slowly  rise  and  peer  cautiously  into  the 
room.  Before  his  wife  could  follow  the  direction  of  her 
husband's  eyes  it  had  disappeared. 

"  Somebody  looking  in  at  the  window,**  said  Pepper, 
with  forced  calmness,  in  reply  to  his  wife's  eyebrows. 

"  Like  their  impudence ! "  said  the  unconscious  woman, 
resuming  her  knitting,  while  her  husband  waited  in  vain  for 
the  captain  to  enter. 

He  waited  some  time,  and  then,  half  dead  with  excite- 
ment,  sat  down,  and  with  shaking  fingers  lit  his  pipe.  As 
he  looked  up  the  stalwart  figure  of  the  captain  passed  the 
window.  During  the  next  twenty  minutes  it  passed  seven 
times,  and  Pepper,  coming  to  the  not  unnatural  conclusion 
that  his  friend  intended  to  pass  the  afternoon  in  the  same 
unprofitable  fashion,  resolved  to  force  his  hand. 

**  Must  be  a  tramp,"  he  said  aloud. 

••  Who  ?  "  inquired  his  wife. 

*'Man  keeps  looking  in  at  the  window,*'  said  Pepper 
desperately.  "  Keeps  looking  in  till  he  meets  my  eye,  then 
be  disappears.    Looks  like  an  old  sea-captain,  something.*' 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  i8i 

•*01d  sea-captain?"  said  his  wife,  putting  down  her 
work  and  turning  round.  There  was  a  strange  hesitating 
note  in  her  voice.  She  looked  at  the  window,  and  at  the 
same  instant  the  head  of  the  captain  again  appeared  above 
the  geraniums,  and,  meeting  her  gaze,  hastily  vanished. 
Martha  Pepper  sat  still  for  a  moment,  and  then,  rising  in  a 
slow,  dazed  fashion,  crossed  to  the  door  and  opened  it. 
Mermaid  Passage  was  empty  I 

'*  See  anybody  ?  "  quavered  Pepper. 
His  wife  shook  her  head,  but  in  a  strangely  quiet  fashion, 
and,  sitting  down,  took  up  her  knitting  again. 

For  some  time  the  click  of  the  needles  and  the  tick 
of  the  clock  were  the  only  sounds  audible,  and  the  ex- 
pilot  had  just  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  his  friend  had 
abandoned  him  to  his  fate,  when  there  came  a  low  tapping 
at  the  door. 

"  Come  in  1 "  cried  Pepper,  starting. 
The  door  opened  slowly,  and  the  tall  figure  of  Captain 
Crippen  entered  and  stood  there  eyeing  them  nervously.  A 
neat  little  speech  he  had  prepared  failed  him  at  the  supreme 
moment.  He  leaned  against  the  wall,  and  in  a  clumsy, 
shamefaced  fashion  lowered  his  gaze,  and  stammered  out 
the  one  word — "  Martha  ! " 

At  that  word  Mrs.  Pepper  rose  and  stood  with  parted 
lips,  eyeing  him  wildly. 

"  Jem  ! "  she  gasped,  "  Jem  I " 
"  Martha  1 "  croaked  the  captain  again. 
With  a  choking  cry  Mrs.  Pepper  ran  towards  him,  and, 
to  the  huge  gratification  of  her  lawful  spouse,  flung  her 
arms  about  his  neck  and  kissed  him  violently. 

"  Jem,"  she  cried  breathlessly,  "  is  it  really  you  ?  I  can 
hardly  believe  it.  Where  have  you  been  all  this  long  time  ? 
Where  have  you  been  ?  " 

"Lots    of    places,"    said    the    captain,   who  was    not 


I8i  MANY  CARGOES 

prepared  to  answer  a  question  like  that  off-hand ;  "  but 
wherever  I've  been" — he  held  up  his  hand  theatrically — 
"  the  image  of  my  dear  lost  wife  has  been  always  in  front 
of  me." 

'*  I  knew  you  at  once,  Jem,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  fondly, 
smoothing  the  hair  back  from  his  forehead.  "Have  I 
altered  much?" 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Crippen,  holding  her  at  arm's  length 
and  carefully  regarding  her.  "  You  look  just  the  same  as 
the  first  time  I  set  eyes  on  you." 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  "  wailed  Martha  Pepper,  putting 
her  head  on  his  shoulder. 

"  When  the  Dolphin  went  down  from  under  me,  and  left 
me  fighting  with  the  waves  for  life  and  Martha,  I  was  cast 
ashore  on  a  desert  island,"  began  Crippen  fluently. 
"There  I  remained  for  nearly  three  years,  when  I  was 
rescued  by  a  barque  bound  for  New  South  Wales.  There 
I  met  a  man  from  Poole  who  told  me  you  were  dead. 
Having  no  further  interest  in  the  land  of  my  birth,  I  sailed 
in  Australian  waters  for  many  years,  and  it  was  only  lately 
that  I  heard  how  cruelly  I  had  been  deceived,  and  that  my 
little  flower  was  still  blooming." 

The  little  flower's  head  being  well  down  on  his  shoulder 
again,  the  celebrated  actor  exchanged  glances  with  the 
worshipping  Pepper. 

"If  you'd  only  come  before,  Jem,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper. 
**  Who  was  he  ?    What  was  his  name  ?  " 

"  Smith,"  said  the  cautious  captain. 

"  If  you  'd  only  come  before,  Jem,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  in 
a  smothered  voice,  "  it  would  have  been  better.  Only  three 
months  ago  I  married  that  object  over  there." 

The  captain  attempted  a  melodramatic  start  with  such 
success,  that,  having  somewhat  underestimated  the  weight 
of  his  fair  bride,  he  nearly  lost  his  balance. 


A  BENEFIT  PERFORMANCE  183 

"  It  can't  be  helped,  I  suppose,"  he  said  reproachfully, 
"  but  you  might  have  waited  a  little  longer,  Martha." 

"  Well,  I  'm  your  wife,  anyhow,"  said  Martha,  "  and  I  'U 
take  care  I  never  lose  you  again.  You  shall  never  go  out 
of  my  sight  again  till  you  die.     Never." 

"  Nonsense,  my  pet,"  said  the  captain,  exchanging  uneasy 
glances  with  the  ex-pilot.     "  Nonsense." 

"It  isn't  nonsense,  Jem,"  said  the  lady,  as  she  drew  him 
on  to  the  sofa  and  sat  with  her  arms  round  his  neck.  "  It 
may  be  true,  all  you  've  told  me,  and  it  may  not.  For  all  I 
know,  you  may  have  been  married  to  some  other  woman  ; 
but  I  've  got  you  now,  and  I  intend  to  keep  you." 

"There,  there,"  said  the  captain,  as  soothingly  as  a 
strange  sinking  at  the  heart  would  allow  him. 

"As  for  that  other  Uttle  man,  I  only  married  him 
because  he  worried  me  so,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  tearfully. 
"I  never  loved  him,  but  he  used  to  follow  me  about  and 
propose.  Was  it  twelve  or  thirteen  times  you  proposed  to 
me,  Pepper?" 

"  I  forget,"  said  the  ex-pilot  shortly. 

"  But  I  never  loved  him,"  she  continued.  "  I  never 
loved  you  a  bit,  did  I,  Pepper  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  said  Pepper  warmly.  "  No"  man  could 
ever  have  a  harder  or  more  unfeeling  wife  than  you  was. 
I  '11  say  that  for  you,  willing." 

As  he  bore  this  testimony  to  his  wife's  fidelity  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and,  upon  his  opening  it,  the 
rector's  daughter,  a  lady  of  uncertain  age,  entered,  and 
stood  regarding  with  amazement  the  frantic  but  ineffectual 
struggles  of  Captain  Crippen  to  release  himself  from  a 
position  as  uncomfortable  as  it  was  ridiculous. 

"Mrs.  Pepper!"  said  the  lady,  aghast  "Oh,  Mrs. 
Pepper  I " 

«•  It 's  all  right,  Miss  Winthrop,"  said  the  lady  addressed, 


1 84  MANY  CARGOES 

calmly,  as  she  forced  the  captain's  flushed  face  on  to  het 
ample  shoulder  again;  "it's  my  first  husband,  Jem 
Budd." 

"Good  gracious!"  said  Miss  Winthrop,  starting.  "Enoch 
Arden  in  the  flesh !  '* 

"Who?"  inquired  Pepper,  with  a  show  of  polite  interest. 

"  Enoch  Arden,"  said  Miss  Winthrop.  "  One  of  our 
great  poets  wrote  a  noble  poem  about  a  sailor  who  came 
home  and  found  that  his  wife  had  married  again ;  but,  in 
the  />oem,  the  first  husband  went  away  without  making 
himself  known,  and  died  of  a  broken  heart." 

She  looked  at  Captain  Crippen  as  though  he  hadn't 
quite  come  up  to  her  expectations. 

"And  now,"  said  Pepper,  speaking  with  great  cheerful- 
ness, "  it 's  me  that 's  got  to  have  the  broken  heart.  Well, 
weU." 

"  It 's  a  most  interesting  case,"  cried  Miss  Winthrop ; 
"and,  if  you  wait  till  I  fetch  my  camera,  I'll  take  your 
portrait  together  just  as  you  are." 

"  Do,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  cordially. 

"  I  won't  have  my  portrait  took,"  said  the  captain,  with 
much  acerbity. 

"  Not  if  I  wish  it,  dear  ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Pepper 
tenderly. 

"  Not  if  you  keep  a-wishing  it  all  your  life,"  replied  the 
captain  sourly,  making  another  attempt  to  get  his  head 
from  her  shoulder. 

"  Don't  you  think  they  ought  to  have  their  portrait 
taken  now?"  asked  Miss  Winthrop,  turning  to  the  ex- 
pilot. 

"  I  don't  see  no  'arm  in  it,"  said  Pepper  thoughtlessly. 

"  You  hear  what  Mr.  Pepper  says,"  said  the  lady,  turning 
to  the  captain  again.  "Surely  if  he  doesn't  mind,  you 
ought  not  to." 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  185 

"III  talk  to  him  by-and-bye,"  said  the  captain,  very 
grimly. 

"P'raps  it  would  be  better  if  we  kept  this  affair  to 
ourselves  for  the  present,"  said  the  ex-pilot,  taking  alarm  at 
his  friend's  manner. 

"Well,  I  won't  intrude  on  you  any  longer,"  said  Miss 
Winthrop.     "  Oh  !   Look  there !   How  rude  of  them  ! " 

The  others  turned  hastily  in  time  to  see  several  heads 
vanish  from  the  window.  Captain  Crippen  was  the  first  to 
speak. 

"Jem!"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  severely,  before  he  had 
finished. 

"  Captain  Budd ! "  said  Miss  Winthrop,  flushing. 

The  incensed  captain  rose  to  his  feet  and  paced  up  and 
down  the  room.  He  looked  at  the  ex-pilot,  and  that  small 
schemer  shivered. 

"  Easy  does  it,  cap'n,"  he  murmured,  with  a  wink  which 
he  meant  to  be  comforting. 

"  I  'm  going  out  a  little  way,"  said  the  captain,  after  the 
rector's  daughter  had  gone.     "  Just  to  cool  my  head." 

Mrs.  Pepper  took  her  bonnet  from  its  peg  behind  the 
door,  and,  surveying  herself  in  the  glass,  tied  it  beneath  her 
chin. 

"Alone,"  said  Crippen  nervously.  "I  want  to  do  a 
little  thinking." 

"Never  again,  Jem,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  firmly.  "My 
place  is  by  your  side.  If  you  're  ashamed  of  people  look- 
ing at  you,  I  'm  not  I  'm  proud  of  you.  Come  along. 
Come  and  show  yourself,  and  tell  them  who  you  are.  You 
shall  never  go  out  of  my  sight  again  as  long  aa  I  live. 
Never." 

She  began  to  whimper. 

*' What's  to  be  done?"  inquired  Crippen,  turning  de»» 
p^rately  on  the  bewildered  pilot. 


i86  MANY   CARGOES 

"What's  it  got  to  do  with  him?"  demanded  Mrs. 
Pepper  sharply. 

"  He 's  got  to  be  considered  a  little,  I  s'pose,"  said  the 
captain,  dissembling.  "  Besides,  I  think  I  'd  better  do  like 
the  man  in  the  poetry  did.  Let  me  go  away  and  die  of  a 
broken  heart.     Perhaps  it's  best." 

Mrs.  Pepper  looked  at  him  with  kindling  eyes. 

"  Let  me  go  away  and  die  of  a  broken  heart,"  repeated 
the  captain,  with  real  feehng.  "  I  'd  rather  do  it.  I  would 
indeed." 

Mrs.  Pepper,  bursting  into  angry  tears,  flung  her  arms 
round  his  neck  again,  and  sobbed  on  his  shoulder.  The 
pilot,  obeying  the  frenzied  injunctions  of  his  friend's 
eye,  drew  down  the  blind. 

"  There 's  quite  a  crowd  outside,"  he  remarked. 

"  I  don't  mind,"  said  his  wife  amiably.  "  They  *11  soon 
know  who  he  is." 

She  stood  holding  the  captain's  hand  and  stroking  it,  and 
whenever  his  feelings  became  too  much  for  her  put  her 
head  down  on  his  waistcoat.  At  such  times  the  captain 
glared  fiercely  at  the  ex-pilot,  who,  being  of  a  weak  nature, 
was  unable,  despite  his  anxiety,  to  give  his  risible  faculties 
that  control  which  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  demanded. 

The  afternoon  wore  slowly  away.  Miss  Winthrop,  who 
dishked  scandal,  had  allowed  something  of  the  affair 
to  leak  out,  and  several  visitors,  including  a  local  reporter, 
called,  but  were  put  off  till  the  morrow,  on  the  not 
unnatural  plea  that  the  long-separated  couple  desired  a 
little  privacy.  The  three  sat  silent,  the  ex-pilot,  with 
wrinkled  brows,  trying  hard  to  decipher  the  lip-language  in 
which  the  captain  addressed  him  whenever  he  had  an 
opportunity,  but  could  only  dimly  guess  its  purport, 
when  the  captain  pressed  his  huge  fist  into  the  service 
M  well 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  187 

Mrs.  Pepper  rose  at  length,  and  went  into  the  back  room 
to  prepare  tea.  As  she  left  the  door  open,  however, 
and  took  the  captain's  hat  with  her,  he  built  no  hopes 
on  her  absence,  but  turned  furiously  to  the  ex-pilot. 

**  What 's  to  be  done  ?  "  he  inquired  in  a  fierce  whisper. 
"This  can't  go  on." 

"  It  '11  have  to,"  whispered  the  other. 

"  Now,  look  here,"  said  Crippen  menacingly,  "  I  'm 
going  into  the  kitchen  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it.  I  'm 
sorry  for  you,  but  I've  done  the  best  I  can.  Come 
and  help  me  to  explain." 

He  turned  to  the  kitchen,  but  the  other,  with  the 
strength  bom  of  despair,  seized  him  by  the  sleeve  and 
held  him  back. 

"  She  '11  kill  me,"  he  whispered  breathlessly. 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  said  Crippen,  shaking  him  oS.  "  Serve 
you  right." 

"And  she'll  tell  the  folks  outside,  and  they'll  kill  you," 
continued  Pepper. 

The  captain  sat  down  again,  and  confronted  him  with  a 
face  as  pale  as  his  own. 

"The  last  train  leaves  at  eight,"  whispered  the  pilot 
hurriedly.  "  It 's  desperate,  but  it 's  the  only  thing  you  can 
do.  Take  her  for  a  stroll  up  by  the  fields  near  the  railway 
station.  You  can  see  the  train  coming  in  for  a  mile  oflf 
nearly.  Time  yourself  carefully,  and  make  a  bolt  for  it 
She  can't  run." 

The  entrance  of  their  victim  with  the  tea-tray  stopped 
the  conversation;  but  the  captain  nodded  acceptance 
behind  her  back,  and  then,  with  a  forced  gaiety,  sat  down 
to  tea. 

For  the  first  time  since  his  successful  appearance  he 
became  loquacious,  and  spoke  so  freely  of  incidents  in 
the  life  of  the  man  he  was  impersonating  that  the  ex-pilot 


i8t  MANY   CARGOES 

sat  iQ  a  perfect  fever  lest  he  should  blunder.  The  meal 
finished,  he  proposed  a  stroll,  and,  as  the  unsuspecting  Mrs. 
Pepper  tied  on  her  bonnet,  slapped  his  leg,  and  winked 
confidently  at  his  fellow-conspirator. 

"  I  'm  not  much  of  a  walker,"  said  the  innocent  Mrs. 
Pepper,  "so  you  must  go  slowly." 

The  captain  nodded,  and  at  Pepper's  suggestion  left 
by  the  back  way,  to  avoid  the  gaze  of  the  curious. 

For  some  time  after  their  departure  Pepper  sat  smoking, 
with  his  anxious  face  turned  to  the  clock,  until  at  length, 
unable  to  endure  the  strain  any  longer,  and  not  without 
a  sportsmanlike  idea  of  being  in  at  the  death,  he  made  his 
way  to  the  station,  and  placed  himself  behind  a  convenient 
coal-truck. 

He  waited  impatiently,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  road  up 
which  he  expected  the  captain  to  come.  He  looked  at  his 
watch.  Five  minutes  to  eight,  and  still  no  captain.  The 
platform  began  to  fill,  a  porter  seized  the  big  bell  and  rang 
it  lustily ;  in  the  distance  a  patch  of  white  smoke  showed. 
Just  as  the  watcher  had  given  up  all  hope,  the  figure  of  the 
captain  came  in  sight.  He  was  swaying  from  side  to 
side,  holding  his  hat  in  his  hand,  but  doggedly  racing 
the  train  to  the  station. 

"  He  *11  never  do  it ! "  groaned  the  pilot.  Then  he  held 
his  breath,  for  three  or  four  hundred  yards  behind  the 
captain  Mrs.  Pepper  pounded  in  pursuit. 

The  train  rolled  into  the  station;  passengers  stepped 
in  and  out;  doors  slammed,  and  the  guard  had  already 
placed  the  whistle  in  his  mouth,  when  Captain  Crippen, 
breathing  stertorously,  came  stumbling  blindly  on  to  the 
platform,  and  was  hustled  into  a  third-class  carriage. 

"  Close  shave  that,  sir,"  said  the  station-master  as  he 
closed  the  door. 

The  captain  sank  back  in  his  seat,  fighting  for  breath, 


A  BENEFIT   PERFORMANCE  189 

and   turning   his   head,   gave  a   last  triumphant  look  up 
the  road. 

"All  right,  sir,"  said  the  station-master  kindly,  as  he 
followed  the  direction  of  the  other's  eyes  and  caught  sight 
of  Mrs.  Pepper.     "We '11  wait  for  your  lady." 


Jackson  Pepper  came  from  behind  the  coal-truck  and 
watched  the  train  out  of  sight,  wondering  in  a  dull,  vague 
fashion  what  the  conversation  was  like.  He  stood  so 
long  that  a  tender-hearted  porter,  who  had  heard  the  news, 
made  bold  to  come  up  and  put  a  friendly  hand  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  You  '11  never  see  her  again,  Mr.  Pepper,"  he  said 
sympathetically. 

The  ex-pilot  turned  and  regarded  him  fixedly,  and  the 
last  bit  of  spirit  he  was  ever  known  to  show  flashed  up 
in  his  face  as  he  spoke. 

*•  You  're  a  blamed  idiot  1 "  he  said  rudely. 


A   CASE   OF   DESERTION 


THE  sun  was  just  rising  as  the  small  tub-like  steamer, 
or,  to  be  more  correct,  steam-barge,  the  Bulldog, 
steamed  past  the  sleeping  town  of  Gravesend  at  a  good 
six  knots  per  hour. 

There  had  been  a  little  discussion  on  the  way  between 
her  crew  and  the  engineer,  who,  down  in  his  grimy  little 
engine-room,  did  his  own  stoking  and  everything  else 
necessary.  The  crew,  consisting  of  captain,  mate,  and 
boy,  who  were  doing  their  first  trip  on  a  steamer,  had  been 
transferred  at  the  last  moment  from  their  sailing-barge  the 
Witch,  and  found  to  their  discomfort  that  the  engineer,  who 
had  not  expected  to  sail  so  soon,  was  terribly  and  abusively 
drunk.  Every  moment  he  could  spare  from  his  engines 
he  thrust  the  upper  part  of  his  body  through  the  small 
hatchway,  and  rowed  with  his  commander. 

"  Ahoy,  bargee  1 "  he  shouted,  popping  up  like  a  jack-in- 
the-box,  after  a  brief  cessation  of  hostilities. 

"  Don't  take  no  notice  of  'im,"  said  the  mate.    "  'E  's  got 
a  bottle  of  brandy  down  there,  an'  he 's  'alf  mad." 

"  If  I  knew  anything  o'  them  blessed  engines,"  growled 
the  skipper,  "  I  'd  go  and  hit  'im  over  the  head." 

"  But  you  don't,"  said  the  mate,  "  and  neither  do  I,  so 
you  'd  better  keep  quiet." 

"  You  think  you  're  a  fine  feller,"  continued  the  engineer, 
■'standing  up  there  an'  playing  with  that  little  wheel     You 

190 


A  CASE   OF  DESERTION  191 

think  you  're  doing  all  the  work.  What 's  the  boy  doing  ? 
Send  him  down  to  stoke." 

"  Go  down,"  said  the  skipper,  grinning  with  fury,  and  the 
boy  reluctantly  obeyed. 

"  You  think,"  said  the  engineer  pathetically,  after  he  had 
euffed  the  boy's  head  and  dropped  him  down  below  by  the 
scruff  of  his  neck,  "  you  think  because  I  've  got  a  black  face 
I'm  not  a  man.  There's  many  a  hoily  face  'ides  a  good 
'art." 

"  I  don't  think  nothing  about  it,"  grunted  the  skipper ; 
"you  do  your  work,  and  I '11  do  mine." 

"  Don't  you  give  me  none  of  your  back  answers," 
bellowed  the  engineer,  "  'cos  I  won't  have  'em." 

The  skipper  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  exchanged  glances 
with  his  sympathetic  mate.  "Wait  till  I  get  'im  ashore,** 
he  murmured. 

"  The  biler  is  wore  out,"  said  the  engineer,  re-appearing 
after  a  hasty  dive  below.    "  It  may  bust  at  any  moment." 

As  though  to  confirm  his  words  fearful  sounds  were  heard 
proceeding  from  below. 

"  It 's  only  the  boy,"  said  the  mate,  "  he 's  scared — 
natural." 

"  I  thought  it  was  the  biler,"  said  the  skipper,  with  a  sigh 
of  relief.     "  It  was  loud  enough." 

As  he  spoke  the  boy  got  his  head  out  of  the  hatchway, 
and,  rendered  desperate  with  fear,  fairly  fought  his  way  past 
the  engineer  and  gained  the  deck. 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  engineer,  as  he  followed  him  on 
deck  and  staggered  to  the  side.  "I've  had  enough  o'  you 
lot." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  go  down  to  them  engines  ?  "  shouted 
the  skipper. 

"Am  I  your  slave V  demanded  the  engineer  tearfully. 
"  Tell  me  that     Am  I  your  slave  ?  " 


191  MANY  CARGOES 

"  Go  down  and  do  your  work  like  a  sensible  man,"  was 
the  reply. 

At  these  words  the  engineer  took  umbrage  at  once,  and, 
scowling  fiercely,  removed  his  greasy  jacket  and  flung  his 
cap  on  the  deck.  He  then  finished  the  brandy  which  he 
had  brought  up  with  him,  and  gazed  owlishly  at  the  Kentish 
shore. 

**  I  'm  going  to  have  a  wash,"  he  said  loudly,  and,  sitting 
down,  removed  his  boots. 

**  Go  down  to  the  engines  first,"  said  the  skipper,  "  and 
I  '11  send  the  boy  to  you  with  a  bucket  and  some  soap."  - 

"  Bucket  I "  replied  the  engineer  scornfully,  as  he  moved 
to  the  side.     "  I  'm  going  to  have  a  proper  wash." 

"  Hold  him  ! "  roared  the  skipper  suddenly.  "  Hold 
him!" 

The  mate,  realising  the  situation,  rushed  to  seize  him, 
but  the  engineer,  with  a  mad  laugh,  put  his  hands  on  the 
side  and  vaulted  into  the  water.  When  he  rose  the 
steamer  was  twenty  yards  ahead. 

"  Go  astarn  ! "  yelled  the  mate. 

"How  can  I  go  astarn  when  there's  nobody  at  the 
engines  ? "  shouted  the  skipper,  as  he  hung  on  to  the 
wheel  and  brought  the  boat's  head  sharply  round.  "Git 
a  line  ready." 

The  mate,  with  a  coil  of  rope  in  his  hand,  rushed  to 
the  side,  but  his  benevolent  efforts  were  frustrated  by  the 
engiii^or,  who,  seeing  the  boat's  head  making  straight  for 
him,  saved  his  life  by  an  opportune  dive.  The  steamer 
rushed  by. 

'*  Turn  'er  agin  I "  screamed  the  mate. 

The  captain  was  already  doing  so,  and  in  a  remarkably 
short  space  of  time  the  boat,  which  had  described  a  complete 
circle,  was  making  again  for  the  engineer. 

"  Look  out  for  the  line  1 "  shouted  the  mate  warningly. 


A  CASE   OF  DESERTION  193 

"1  don't  want  your  line,"  yelled  the  engineer  "I'm 
going  ashore." 

"  Come  aboard ! "  shouted  the  captain  imploringly,  as 
they  swept  past  again.   '*  We  can't  manage  the  engines." 

"  Put  her  round  again,"  said  the  mate.  "  I  '11  go  for  him 
with  the  boat.     Haul  her  in,  boy." 

The  boat,  which  was  dragging  astern,  was  hauled  close, 
and  the  mate  tumbled  into  her,  followed  by  the  boy,  just  as 
the  captain  was  in  the  middle  of  another  circle — to  the 
intense  indignation  of  a  crowd  of  shipping,  large  and  small, 
which  was  trying  to  get  by. 

"  Ahoy  ! "  yelled  the  master  of  a  tug  which  was  towing  a 
large  ship.  •'  Take  that  steam  roundabout  out  of  the  way. 
What  the  thunder  are  you  doing  ?  " 

"  Picking  up  my  engineer,"  replied  the  captain,  as  he 
steamed  right  across  the  other's  bows,  and  nearly  ran  down 
a  sailing- barge,  the  skipper  of  which,  a  Salvation  Army 
man,  was  nobly  fighting  with  his  feelings. 

'*  Why  don't  you  stop  ?  "  he  yelled. 

"^os  I  can't,"  wailed  the  skipper  of  the  Bulldogs  as  ho 
threaded  his  way  between  a  huge  steamer  and  a  schooner, 
who,  in  avoiding  him,  were  getting  up  a  little  collision  on 
their  own  account. 

"Ahoy,  Bulldog!  Ahoy!"  called  the  mate.  "Stand  by  to 
pick  us  up.     We  've  got  him." 

The  skipper  smiled  in  an  agonised  fashion  as  he  shot 
past,  hotly  pursued  by  his  boat.  The  feeling  on  board  the 
other  craft  as  they  got  out  of  the  way  of  the  Bulldog,  and 
nearly  ran  down  her  boat,  and  then,  in  avoiding  that, 
nearly  ran  down  something  else,  cannot  be  put  into  plain 
English,  but  several  captains  ventured  into  the  domains  of 
the  ornamental  with  marked  success. 

"  Shut  off  steam  ! '"  yelled  the  engineer,  as  the  Bulldog 
went  by  again.     "  Draw  the  fires,  then." 

0 


194  MANY    CARGOES 

"Who's  going  to  steer  while  I  do  it?"  bellowed  the 
skipper,  as  he  left  the  wheel  for  a  few  seconds  to  try  and 
get  a  line  to  throw  them. 

By  this  time  the  commotion  in  the  river  was  frightful, 
and  the  captain's  steering,  as  he  went  on  his  round  again, 
something  marvellous  to  behold.  A  strange  lack  of  sym- 
pathy on  the  part  of  brother  captains  added  to  his  troubles. 
Every  craft  he  passed  had  something  to  say  to  him,  busy  as 
they  were,  and  the  remarks  were  as  monotonous  as  they 
were  insulting.  At  last,  just  as  he  was  resolving  to  run  his 
boat  straight  down  the  river  until  he  came  to  a  halt  for 
want  of  steam,  the  mate  caught  the  rope  he  flung,  and  the 
Bulldog  went  down  the  river  with  her  boat  made  fast  to  her 
stern. 

*'  Come  aboard,  you — you  lunatic  I "  he  shouted. 

"  Not  afore  I  knows  'ow  I  stand,"  said  the  engineer,  who 
was  now  beautifully  sober,  and  in  full  possession  of  a  some- 
what acute  intellect. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded  the  skipper. 

"  I  don't  come  aboard,"  shouted  the  engineer,  "  until  you 
and  the  mate  and  the  bye  all  swear  as  you  won't  say  nothing 
about  this  little  game." 

"  I  '11  report  you  the  moment  I  get  ashore,"  roared  the 
skipper.    "  I  '11  give  you  in  charge  for  desertion.    1 11  "•— — 

With  a  supreme  gesture  the  engineer  prepared  to  dive, 
but  the  watchful  mate  fell  on  his  neck  and  tripped  him 
over  a  seat. 

*•  Come  aboard ! "  cried  the  skipper,  aghast  at  such  dete^ 
mination.  "  Come  aboard,  and  I  'U  give  you  a  licking  when 
we  get  ashore  instead." 

*'  Honour  bright  ?  "  inquired  the  engineer. 

"  Honour  bright,"  chorussed  the  three. 

The  engineer,  with  all  the  honours  of  war,  came  oo 
board,  and,  after  remarking  that  he  felt  chilly  bathing  on 


A  CASE   OF  DESERTION  19$ 

in  empty  stomach,  went  down  below  and  began  to  stoke. 
In  the  course  of  the  voyage  he  said  that  it  was  worth 
while  making  such  a  fool  of  himself  if  only  to  see  the 
skipper's  beautiful  steering,  warmly  asseverating  that  there 
was  not  another  man  on  the  river  that  could  have  done  it. 
Before  this  insidious  flattery  the  skipper's  wrath  melted  like 
snow  before  the  sun,  and  by  the  time  they  reached  port  he 
would  as  soon  have  thought  of  hitting  his  own  father  as  his 
^aooth-tongued  engineer. 


OUTSAILED 

IT  was  a  momentous  occasion.  The  two  skippers  sat 
in  the  private  bar  of  the  "  Old  Ship,"  in  High  Street, 
Wapping,  solemnly  sipping  cold  gin  and  smoking  cigars, 
whose  sole  merit  consisted  in  the  fact  that  they  had  been 
smuggled.  It  is  well  known  all  along  the  waterside  that 
this  greatly  improves  their  flavour. 

"  Draw  all  right  ?  "  queried  Captain  Berrow — &  short,  fat 
man  of  few  ideas,  who  was  the  exulting  owner  of  a  bundle 
of  them. 

"  Beautiful,"  replied  Captain  Tucker,  who  had  just  made 
an  excursion  into  the  interior  of  his  with  the  small  blade 
of  his  penknife.  "  Why  don't  you  keep  smokes  like  these, 
landlord?" 

"He  can't,"  chuckled  Captain  Berrow  fatuously. 
"They're  not  to  be  'ad — money  couldn't  buy  *em." 

The  landlord  grunted.  "Why  don't  you  settle  about 
that  race  o'  yours  an'  ha'  done  with  it,"  he  cried,  as  he 
wiped  down  his  counter.  "Seems  to  me,  Cap'n  Tucker's 
hanging  fire." 

"I'm  ready  when  he  is,"  said  Tucker,  somewhat 
shortly. 

"It's  taking  your  money,"  said  Berrow  slowly;  "the 
2^'stU  can't  hold  a  candle  to  the  Good  Intent,  and  you 
know  it.  Many  a  time  that  Uttle  schooner  o'  mine  has 
kept  up  with  a  steamer." 

"Wher'd  you  ha'  been  if  the  tow  rope  had  parted, 

196 


OUTSAILED 


197 


though?"  said  the  master  of  the  Thistle,  with  a  wink  at 
the  landlord. 

At  this  remark  Captain  Berrow  took  fire,  and,  with  his 
temper  rapidly  rising  to  fever  heat,  wrathfuUy  repelled  the 
scurvy  insinuation  in  language  which  compelled  the 
respectful  attention  of  all  the  other  customers  and  the 
hasty  intervention  of  the  landlord. 

"  Put  up  the  stakes,"  he  cried  impatiently.  "  Put  up  the 
stakes,  and  don't  have  so  much  jaw  about  it." 

"  Here 's  mine,"  said  Berrow,  sturdily  handing  over  a 
greasy  fiver.     "  Now,  Cap'n  Tucker,  cover  that." 

"  Come  on,"  said  the  landlord  encouragingly ;  "  don't 
let  him  take  the  wind  out  of  your  sails  like  that" 

Tucker  handed  over  five  sovereigns. 

"High  water's  at  12,13,"  said  the  landlord,  pocketing 
the  stakes.  "  You  understand  the  conditions — each  of  you 
does  the  best  he  can  for  his  self  after  eleven,  an'  the  one 
what  gets  to  Poole  first  has  the  ten  quid.     Understand  ?  " 

Both  gamblers  breathed  hard,  and,  fully  realising  the 
desperate  nature  of  the  enterprise  upon  which  they  had 
embarked,  ordered  some  more  gin.  A  rivalry  of  long 
standing  as  to  the  merits  of  their  respective  schooners 
had  led  to  them  calling  in  the  landlord  to  arbitrate,  and 
this  was  the  result.  Berrow,  vaguely  feeling  that  it  would 
be  advisable  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  stakeholder, 
offered  him  one  of  the  famous  cigars.  The  stakeholder, 
anxious  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  his  stomach, 
declined  it 

"You've  both  got  your  moorings  up,  I  s'pose?"  he 
inquired. 

"Got  'em  up  this  evening,"  replied  Tucker.  "We're 
just  made  fast  one  on  each  side  of  the  Dolphin  now." 

"  The  wind 's  light,  but  it 's  from  the  right  quarter,"  said 
Captain  Berrow,  "  an'  I  only  hope  as  'ow  the  best  ship  'U 


198  MANY   CARGOES 

win.  I  'd  like  to  win  myself,  but,  if  not,  I  can  only  say  as 
there's  no  man  breathing  I'd  sooner  have  lick  me  than 
Cap'n  Tucker.  He's  as  smart  a  seaman  as  ever  comes 
into  the  London  river,  an'  he's  got  a  schooner  angels 
would  be  proud  of." 

"  Glasses  o'  gin  round,"  said  Tucker  promptly.  "  Cap'n 
Berrow,  here 's  your  very  good  health,  an'  a  fair  field  an'  no 
favour." 

With  these  praiseworthy  sentiments  the  master  of  the 
Thistle  finished  his  liquor,  and,  wiping  his  mouth  on  the 
back  of  his  hand,  nodded  farewell  to  the  twain  and 
departed.  Once  in  the  High  Street  he  walked  slowly, 
as  one  in  deep  thought,  then,  with  a  sudden  resolution, 
turned  up  Nightingale  Lane,  and  made  for  a  small, 
unsavoury  thoroughfare  leading  out  of  Ratcliff  Highway. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  emerged  into  that  famous 
thoroughfare  again,  smiling  incoherently,  and,  retracing  his 
steps  to  the  waterside,  jumped  into  a  boat,  and  was  pulled 
off  to  his  ship. 

"  Comes  off  to-night,  Joe,"  said  he,  as  he  descended  to 
the  cabin,  "an'  it's  arf  a  quid  to  you  if  the  old  gal  wins." 

*•  What 's  the  bet  ?  "  inquired  the  mate,  looking  up  from 
his  task  of  shredding  tobacco. 

*  Five  quid,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"Well,  we  ought  to  do  it,"  said  the  mate  slowly; 
"'t  wont  be  my  fault  if  we  don't." 

"  Mine  neither,"  said  the  skipper.  "  As  a  matter  o'  fact, 
Joe,  I  reckon  I  've  about  made  sure  of  it  All 's  fair  in 
love  and  war  and  racing,  Joe." 

•*  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  mate,  more  slowly  than  before,  as  he 
revolved  this  addition  to  the  proverb. 

"  I  just  nipped  round  and  saw  a  chap  I  used  to  know 
named  Dibbs,"  said  the  skipper.  •'  Keeps  a  boarding- 
bouse    for    sailors.     Wonderful    sharp  little  chap   he  is. 


OUTSAILED  199 

Needles  ain't  nothing  to  him.  There's  heaps  of  needles, 
but  only  one  Dibbs.  He's  going  to  make  old  Beaow's 
chaps  as  drunk  as  lords." 

"  Does  he  know  'em  ? "  inquired  the  mate. 

"He  knows  where  to  find  'em,"  said  the  other.  "I 
told  him  they'd  either  be  in  the  'Duke's  Head'  or  the 
'Town  o'  Berwick.'  But  he'd  find  'em  wherever  they 
was.  Ah,  even  if  they  was  in  a  coffee  pallis,  I  b'leeve 
that  man  'ud  find  'em." 

"They're  steady  chaps,"  objected  the  mate,  but  in  a 
weak  fashion,  being  somewhat  staggered  by  this  tribute 
to  Mr.  Dibbs'  remarkable  powers. 

"  My  lad,"  said  the  skipper,  "  it 's  Dibbs'  business  to 
mix  sailors'  liquors  so's  they  don't  know  whether  they're 
standing  on  their  heads  or  their  heels.  He's  the  most 
wonderful  mixer  in  Christendom;  takes  a  reg'lar  pride 
in  it  Many  a  sailorman  has  got  up  a  ship's  side,  thinking 
it  was  stairs,  and  gone  off  half  acrost  the  world  instead 
of  going  to  bed,  through  him." 

"  We  '11  have  a  easy  job  of  it,  then,"  said  the  mate.  "  I 
b'leeve  we  could  ha'  managed  it  without  that,  though. 
'T ain't  quite  what  you'd  call  sport,  is  it?" 

"  There 's  nothing  like  making  sure  of  a  thing,"  said 
the  skipper  placidly.  "  What  time 's  our  chaps  coming 
aboard  ? " 

"  Ten  thirty,  the  latest,"  replied  the  mate.  "Old  Sam 's 
with  'em;  so  they  '11  be  all  right." 

"I'll  turn  in  for  a  couple  of  hours,"  said  the  skipper, 
going  towards  his  berth.  "  Lord  1  I  'd  give  something  to 
see  old  Berrow's  face  as  his  chaps  come  up  the  side." 

"P'raps  they  won't  git  as  far  as  that,"  remarked  the 
mate. 

"  Oh,  yes  they  will,"  said  the  skipper.  "  Dibbs  is 
going  to  see  to  that     I  don't  want  any  chance  of  the 


lOo  MANY   CARGOES 

race    being  scratched.      Turn    me  out  in  a    couple    of 
hours." 

He  closed  the  door  behind  him,  and  the  mate,  having 
stuffed  his  clay  with  the  coarse  tobacco,  took  some  pink 
note-paper  with  scalloped  dges  from  his  drawer,  and, 
placing  the  paper  at  his  right  side,  and  squaring  his 
shoulders,  began  some  private  correspondence. 

For  some  time  he  smoked  and  wrote  in  silence,  until  the 
increasing  darkness  warned  him  to  finish  his  task.  He 
signed  the  note,  and,  having  put  a  few  marks  of  a  tender 
nature  below  his  signature,  sealed  it  ready  for  the  post^  and 
sat  with  half-closed  eyes,  finishing  his  pipe.  Then  his  head 
nodded,  and,  placing  his  arms  on  the  table,  he  too  slept. 

It  seemed  but  a  minute  since  he  had  closed  his  eyes 
when  he  was  awakened  by  the  entrance  of  the  skipper, 
who  came  blundering  into  the  darkness  from  his  state- 
room, vociferating  loudly  and  nervously. 
"  Ay,  ay ! "  said  Joe,  starting  up. 

"Where's  the  lights?"  said  the  skipper.  "What's 
the  time?  I  dreamt  I'd  overslept  myself.  What's  the 
time?" 

"  Plenty  o'  time,"  said  the  mate  vaguely,  as  he  stifled 
a  yawn, 

"  Ha'-past  ten,"  said  the  skipper,  as  he  struck  a  match. 
"  You  've  been  asleep,"  he  added  severely. 

"I  ain't,"  said  the  mate  stoutly,  as  he  followed  the 
other  on  decL  "  I  've  been  thinking.  I  think  better  in 
the  dark." 

"It's  about  time  our  chaps  was  aboard,"  said  the 
skipper,  as  he  looked  round  the  deserted  deck.  "  I  hope 
they  won't  be  late." 

"  Sam  's  with  'em,"  said  the  mate  confidently,  as  he  went 
<Hi  to  the  side ;  "  there  ain't  no  festivities  going  on  aboard 
the  Good  Intent ^  neither." 


OUTSAILED  SOI 

"  There  will  be,"  said  his  worthy  skipper,  with  a  grin,  as 
he  looked  across  the  intervening  brig  at  the  rival  craft; 
"  there  will  be." 

He  walked  round  the  deck  to  see  that  everything  was 
snug  and  ship-shape,  and  got  back  to  the  mate  just  as  a 
howl  of  surprising  weirdness  was  heard  proceeding  from 
the  neighbouring  stairs. 

"  I  'm  s'prised  at  Berrow  allowing  his  men  to  make  that 
noise,"  said  the  skipper  waggishly.  "  Our  chaps  are  there 
too,  I  think.     I  can  hear  Sam's  voice." 

•'  So  can  I,"  said  the  mate,  with  emphasis, 

"  Seems  to  be  talking  rather  loud,"  said  the  master  of 
ehe  Thistle^  knitting  his  brows. 

"  Sounds  as  though  he 's  trying  to  sing,"  said  the  mate, 
AS,  after  some  delay,  a  heavily-laden  boat  put  off  from  the 
stairs  and  made  slowly  for  them.  "No,  he  ain't;  he's 
screaming." 

There  was  no  longer  any  doubt  about  it  The  re- 
spectable and  greatly-trusted  Sam  was  letting  off  a  series 
of  wild  howls  which  would  have  done  credit  to  a  penny- 
gaff  Zulu,  and  was  evidently  very  much  out  of  temper 
about  something. 

•*  Ahoy,  Thistle  I  Ahoy  I "  bellowed  the  waterman,  as 
he  neared  the  schooner.     "  Chuck  us  a  rope — quick ! " 

The  mate  threw  him  one,  and  the  boat  came  alongside. 
It  was  then  seen  that  another  waterman,  using  impatient 
and  deplorable  language,  was  forcibly  holding  Sam  down  in 
the  boat 

"What's  he  done?  What's  the  row?"  demanded  the 
mate. 

"Done?"  said  the  waterman,  in  disgust  "Done? 
He 's  'ad  a  small  lemon,  an'  it 's  got  into  his  silly  old  head. 
He 's  making  all  this  fuss  'cos  he  wanted  to  set  the  pub 
on  fire,  an'  they  wouldn't  let  him.      Man  ashore  told  ui 


201  MANY  CARGOES 

they  belonged   to  the    Good  Intent^  but  I  know  they're 

your  men." 

"  Sam  I "  roared  the  skipper,  with  a  sinking  heart,  as 
his  glance  fell  on  the  recumbent  figures  in  the  boat; 
"  come  aboard  at  once,  you  drunken  disgrace !  D  'ye 
hear?" 

"  I  can't  leave  him,"  said  Sam,  whimpering. 

"  Leave  who  ?  "  growled  the  skipper. 

**  Him,"  said  Sara,  placing  his  arms  round  the 
waterman's  neck.     "  Him  an'  me 's  like  brothers." 

"  Get  up,  you  old  loonatic  1 "  snarled  the  waterman, 
extricating  himself  with  difficulty,  and  forcing  the  other 
towards  the  side.     "  Now,  up  you  go  !  " 

Aided  by  the  shoulders  of  the  waterman  and  the  hands 
of  his  superior  officers,  Sam  went  up,  and  then  the 
waterman  turned  his  attention  to  the  remainder  of  his 
fares,  who  were  snoring  contentedly  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat. 

"  Now,  then  1  "  he  cried ;  "  look  aiive  with  you  1  D  'ye 
hear  ?     Wake  up  1  wake  up  !     Kick  'em,  Bill !  " 

"  I  can't  kick  no  'arder,"  grumbled  the  other  waterman. 

"What  the  devil's  the  matter  with  'em?"  stormed  the 
master  of  the  Thistle.  "Chuck  a  pail  of  water  over  'em, 
Joe ! " 

Joe  obeyed  with  gusto ;  and,  as  he  never  had  much  of  3 
head  for  details,  bestowed  most  of  it  upon  the  watermen. 
Through  the  row  which  ensued  the  Thistle's  crew  snored 
peacefully,  and  at  last  were  handed  up  over  the  sides  like 
sacks  of  potatoes,  and  the  indignant  watermen  pulled 
back  to  the  stairs. 

"  Here 's  a  nice  crew  to  win  a  race  with  ! "  wailed  the 
skipper,  almost  crying  with  rage.  "  Chuck  the  water  over 
'em,  Joe  !     Chuck  the  water  over  'em  ! " 

Joe  obeyed  willingly,   until  at  length,  to  the  skipper's 


OUTSAILE 


iO$ 


great  relief,  one  man  stirred,  and,  sitting  up  on  the 
deck,  sleepily  expressed  his  firm  conviction  that  it  was 
raining.  For  a  moment  they  both  had  hopes  of  him, 
but  as  Joe  went  to  the  side  for  another  bucketful,  he 
evidently  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  been 
dreaming,  and,  lying  down  again,  resumed  his  nap.  As 
he  did  so  the  first  stroke  of  Big  Ben  came  booming 
down  the  river. 

"  Eleven  o'clock  ! "  shouted  the  excited  skipper. 

It  was  too  true.  Before  Big  Ben  had  finished,  the 
neighbouring  church  clocks  commenced  striking  with 
feverish  haste,  and  hurrying  feet  and  hoarse  cries  were 
heard  proceeding  from  the  deck  of  the  Good  Intent. 

"  Loose  the  sails  1 "  yelled  the  furious  Tucker.  "  Loose 
the  sails  !     Damme,  we  '11  get  under  way  by  ourselves  ! " 

He  ran  forward,  and,  assisted  by  the  mate,  hoisted  the 
jibs,  and  then,  running  back,  cast  off  from  the  brig,  and 
began  to  hoist  the  mainsail.  As  they  disengaged  them- 
selves from  the  tier,  there  was  just  sufficient  sail  for  them 
to  advance  against  the  tide;  while  in  front  of  them  the 
Good  Intent^  shaking  out  sail  after  sail,  stood  boldly  down 
the  river. 

"  This  was  the  way  of  it,"  said  Sam,  as  he  stood  before 
the  grim  Tucker  at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
surrounded  by  his  mates.  "He  came  into  the  'Town  o' 
Berwick,'  where  we  was,  as  nice  a  spoken  little  chap  as 
ever  you'd  wish  to  see.  He  said  he'd  been  a-looking  at 
the  Good  Intent^  and  he  thought  it  was  the  j»ettiest 
little  craft  'e  ever  seed,  and  the  exact  image  of  one  hia 
dear  brother,  which  was  a  missionary,  'ad,  and  he  'd  like  to 
stand  a  drink  to  every  man  of  her  crew.  Of  course,  we  all 
said  we  was  the  crew  direckly,  an'  all  I  can  remember  aitec 


*04  MANY   CARGOES 

that  is  two  coppers  an'  a  little  boy  trying  to  giv*  me  tha 
frog's  march,  an'  somebody  chucking  pails  o'  water  over 
me.  It's  crool  'ard  losing  a  race,  what  we  didn't  know 
nothink  about,  in  this  way ;  but  it  warn't  our  fault — it 
warn't,  indeed.  It's  my  belief  that  the  little  man  was  a 
missionary  of  some  sort  hisself,  and  wanted  to  convert  us, 
an'  that  was  his  way  of  starting  on  the  job.  It's  all  very 
well  for  the  mate  to  have  highstirriks ;  but  it 's  quite  true, 
every  word  of  it,  an'  if  you  go  an'  ask  at  the  pub  they  'U 
tell  you  the  same." 


MATED 


THE  schooner  Falcon  was  ready  for  sea.  The  last  bale 
of  general  cargo  had  ^st  been  shipped,  and  a  few 
hairy,  unkempt  seamen  were  busy  putting  on  the  hatches; 
under  the  able  profanity  of  the  mate. 

"All  clear?"  inquired  the  master,  a  short,  ruddy-faced 
man  of  about  thirty-five.     "  Cast  oflF  there  1 " 

"Ain't  you  going  to  wait  for  the  passengers,  then?* 
inquired  the  mate. 

"No,  no,"  replied  the  skipper,  whose  features  were 
working  with  excitement.  "They  won't  come  now,  I'm 
sure  they  won't.  We'll  lose  the  tide  if  we  don't  look 
sharp." 

He  turned  aside  to  give  an  order  just  as  a  buxom  young 
woman,  accompanied  by  a  loutish  boy,  a  band-box,  and 
several  other  bundles,  came  hurrying  on  to  the  jetty. 

"  Well,  here  we  are,  Cap'n  Evans,"  said  the  girl,  spring- 
ing lightly  on  to  the  deck.  "I  thought  we  should  never 
get  here ;  the  cabman  didn't  seem  to  know  the  way ;  but  I 
knew  you  wouldn't  go  without  us." 

"  Here  you  are,"  said  the  skipper,  with  attempted  cheer- 
fulness, as  he  gave  the  girl  his  right  hand,  while  his  left 
strayed  vaguely  in  the  direction  of  the  boy's  ear,  which 
was  coldly  withheld  from  him.  "  Go  down  below,  and  the 
mate  '11  show  you  your  cabin.  Bill,  this  is  Miss  Cooper, 
a  lady  friend  o'  mine,  and  her  brother." 

The  mate,  acknowledging  the  introduction,  led  the  way 

205 


to6  MANY   CARGOES 

to  the  cabin,  where  they  remained  so  long  that  by  the  time 
they  came  on  deck  again  the  schooner  was  oflF  Limehouse, 
slipping  along  well  under  a  light  wind. 

*'  How  do  you  like  the  state-room?"  inquired  the  skipper, 
who  was  at  the  wheel. 

"Pretty  fair,"  replied  Miss  Cooper.  "It's  a  big  name 
for  it  though,  ain't  it  ?     Oh,  what  a  large  ship ! " 

She  ran  to  the  side  to  gaze  at  a  big  liner,  and  as  far 
as  Gravesend  besieged  the  skipper  and  mate  with  questions 
concerning  the  various  craft.  At  the  mate's  suggestion  they 
had  tea  on  deck,  at  which  meal  William  Henry  Cooper 
became  a  source  of  much  discomfort  to  his  host  by  his 
remarkable  discoveries  anent  the  fauna  of  lettuce.  DespittJ 
his  efforts,  however,  and  the  cloud  under  which  Evans 
seemed  to  be  labouring,  the  meal  was  voted  a  big  success ; 
and  after  it  was  over  they  sat  laughing  and  chatting  until 
the  air  got  chilly,  and  the  banks  of  the  river  were  lost 
in  the  gathering  darkness.  At  ten  o'clock  they  retired  for 
the  night,  leaving  Evans  and  the  mate  on  deck. 

"Nice  gal,  that,"  said  the  mate,  looking  at  the  skipper, 
who  was  leaning  moodily  on  the  wheel 

"Ay,  ay,"  replied  he.  "Bill,"  he  continued,  turning 
suddenly  towards  the  mate.  "  I  'm  in  a  deuce  of  a  mess. 
You  've  got  a  good  square  head  on  your  shoulders.  Now, 
what  on  earth  am  I  to  do  ?  Of  course  you  can  see  how 
the  land  lays  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  mate,  who  was  not  going  to  lose 
his  reputation  by  any  display  of  ignorance.  "Anyone  could 
Bee  it,"  he  added. 

"  The  question  is  what 's  to  be  done  ?  "  said  the  skipper. 

"That's  the  question,"  said  the  mate  guardedly. 

"I  feel  that  worried,"  said  Evans,  "that  I've  actually 
thought  of  getting  into  collision,  or  running  the  ship 
ashore.    Fancy  them  two  women  meeting  at  Llandalock." 


MATED  to7 

Such  a  sudden  light  broke  in  upon  the  square  head  of 
the  mate,  that  he  nearly  whistled  with  the  brightness  of  it 

"  But  you  ain't  engaged  to  this  one  ?  "  he  cried. 

"We're  to  be  married  in  August,"  said  the  skipper 
desperately.     "That's  my  ring  on  her  finger." 

"  But  you  're  going  to  marry  Mary  Jones  in  September," 
expostulated  the  mate.     "  You  can't  marry  both  of  'em." 

"That's  what  I  say,"  replied  Evans;  "that's  what  I  keep 
telling  myself,  but  it  don't  seem  to  bring  much  comfort. 
I'm  too  soft-'earted  where  wimmen  is  concerned,  Bill, 
an'  that's  the  truth  of  it.  D'reckly  I  get  alongside  of  a 
nice  gal  my  arm  goes  creeping  round  her  before  I  know 
what  it 's  doing." 

"What  on  earth  made  you  bring  the  girl  on  the  ship?" 
inquired  the  mate.  "  The  other  one 's  sure  to  be  on  the 
quay  to  meet  you  as  usual." 

"I  couldn't  help  it,"  groaned  the  skipper;  "she  would 
come ;  she  can  be  very  determined  when  she  likes.  She  'a 
awful  gone  on  me,  Bill." 

"  So  's  the  other  one  apparently,"  said  the  mate. 

"I  can't  think  what  it  is  the  gals  see  in  me,"  said  the 
other  mournfully.     "  Can  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  *m  blamed  if  I  can,"  replied  the  mate  frankly. 

"I  don't  take  no  credit  for  it.  Bill,"  said  the  skipper, 
**  not  a  bit  My  father  was  Uke  it  before  me.  The  worry 's 
killing  me." 

"  Well,  which  are  you  going  to  have  ? "  inquired  the 
matfc     "  Which  do  you  like  the  best  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  an'  that's  a  fact,"  said  the  skipper. 
"They  've  both  got  money  coming  to  'em ;  when  I  'm  in 
Wales  I  like  Mary  Jones  best,  and  when  I  'm  in  London 
it's  Janey  Cooper.     It's  dreadful  to  be  like  that,  Bill." 

"  It  is,"  said  the  mate  drily.  "  I  wouldn't  be  in  you* 
shoes  when  those  two  gals  meet  for  a  fortune.     Then 


sol  MANY  CARGOES 

you'll  have  old  Jones  and  her  brothers  to  tackle,  toa 
Seems  to  me  things '11  be  a  bit  lively." 

•'  I  hev  thought  of  being  took  sick,  and  staying  in  my 
bunk,  Bill,"  suggested  Evans  anxiously. 

"  An'  having  the  two  of  'em  to  nurse  you,"  retorted  Bill 
•'  Nice  quiet  time  for  an  invalid." 
Evans  made  a  gesture  of  despair. 
"  How  would  it  be,"  said  the  mate,  after  a  long  pause, 
and  speaking  very  slowly ;  *'  how  would  it  be  if  I  took  this 
cne  off  your  hands." 

"You  couldn't  do  it,  Bill,"  said  the  skipper  decidedly. 
"  Not  while  she  knew  I  was  above  ground." 

"Well,  I  can  try,"  returned  the  mate  shortly.  "I've 
took  rather  a  fancy  to  the  girl     Is  it  a  bargain  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  the  skipper,  shaking  hands  upon  it  "  If 
you  git  me  out  of  this  hole.  Bill,  I'll  remember  it  the 
longest  day  I  live." 

With  these  words  he  went  below,  and,  after  cautiously 
undoing  W.  H.  Cooper,  who  had  slept  himself  into  a  knot 
that  a  professional  contortionist  would  have  envied,  tumbled 
in  beside  him  and  went  to  sleep. 

His  heart  almost  failed  him  when  he  encountered  the 
radiant  Jane  at  breakfast  in  the  morning,  but  he  con- 
cealed his  feelings  by  a  strong  effort ;  and  after  the  meal 
was  finished,  and  the  passengers  had  gone  on  deck,  he 
laid  hold  of  the  mate,  who  was  following,  and  drew  him 
into  the  cabin. 

"You  haven't  washed  yourself  this  morning,"  he  said, 
eyeing  him  closely.  "  How  do  you  s'pose  you  are  going  to 
make  an  impression  if  you  don't  look  smart  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  look  tidier  than  you  do,"  growled  the  mate. 
"  Of  course  you  do,"  said  the  wily  Evans.     "  I  'm  going 
to  give  you  all  the  chances  I  can.     Now  you  go  and  shave 
yourself,  and  here — take  it" 


MATED  «09 

He  passed  the  surprised  mate  a  brilliant  red  silk  tie, 

embellished  with  green  spots. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  mate  deprecatingly. 

"  Take  it,"  repeated  Evans ;  "  if  anything  '11  fetch  her  it  '11 
be  that  tie ;  and  here 's  a  couple  of  collars  for  you ;  they  "re 
a  new  shape,  quite  the  rage  down  Poplar  way  just  now." 

"  It 's  robbing  you,"  said  the  mate,  "  and  it 's  no  good 
either.     I  ain't  got  a  decent  suit  of  clothes  to  my  back." 

Evans  looked  up,  and  their  eyes  met ;  then,  with  a  catch 
in  his  breath,  he  turned  away,  and  after  some  hesitation 
went  to  his  locker,  and  bringing  out  a  new  suit,  bought  for 
the  edification  of  Miss  Jones,  handed  it  silently  to  the  mate. 

"T  can't  take  all  these  things  without  giving  you  some- 
thing for  *em,"  said  the  mate.     "  Here,  wait  a  bit." 

He  dived  into  his  cabin,  and,  after  a  hasty  search, 
brought  out  some  garments  which  he  placed  on  the  table 
before  his  commander. 

"I  wouldn't  wear  'em,  no,  not  to  drown  myself  in," 
declared  Evans  after  a  brief  glance;  "they  ain't  even 
decent." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  said  the  mate ;  "  it  '11  be  more 
of  a  contrast  with  me." 

After  a  slight  contest  the  skipper  gave  way,  and  the  mate, 
after  an  elaborate  toilette,  went  on  deck  and  began  to  make 
himself  agreeable,  while  his  chief  skulked  below  trying  to 
muster  up  courage  to  put  in  an  appearance. 

"  Where 's  the  captain  ?  "  inquired  Miss  Cooper,  after  his 
absence  had  been  so  prolonged  as  to  become  noticeable. 

"  He 's  below,  dressin',  I  b'leeve,"  repUed  the  mate 
simply. 

Miss  Cooper,  glancing  at  his  attire,  smiled  softly  to 
herself,  and  prepared  for  something  startling,  and  she  got 
it ;  for  a  more  forlorn,  sulky-looking  object  than  the 
skipper,  when  he  did  appear,  had  never  been  seen  on  the 

p 


«io  MANY  CARGOES 

deck  of  the  Falcon,  and  his  London  betrothed  glanced 
at  him  hot  with  shame  and  indignation. 

"Whatever  have  you  got  those  things  on  for?"  she 
whispered. 

"  Work,  my  dear — work,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  Well,  mind  you  don't  lose  any  of  the  pieces,"  said  the 
dear  suavely ;  "  you  mightn't  be  able  to  match  that  cloth." 

"  I  '11  look  after  that,"  said  the  skipper,  reddening.  "  You 
must  excuse  me  talkin'  to  you  now.     I  'm  busy." 

Miss  Cooper  looked  at  him  indignantly,  and,  biting  her 
lip,  turned  away,  and  started  a  desperate  flirtation  with  the 
mate,  to  punish  him.  Evans  watched  them  with  mingled 
feelings  as  he  busied  himself  with  various  small  jobs  on 
the  deck,  his  wrath  being  raised  to  boiling  point  by  the 
behaviour  of  the  cook,  who,  being  a  "poor  hand  at  dis- 
guising his  feelings,  came  out  of  the  galley  several  times 
to  look  at  him. 

From  this  incident  a  coolness  sprang  up  between  the 
skipper  and  the  girl,  which  increased  hourly.  At  times  the 
skipper  weakened,  but  the  watchful  mate  was  always  on 
hand  to  prevent  mischief.  Owing  to  his  fostering  care 
Evans  was  generally  busy,  and  always  gruff;  and  Miss 
Cooper,  who  was  used  to  the  most  assiduous  attentions 
from  him,  knew  not  whether  to  be  most  bewildered 
or  most  indignant.  Four  times  in  one  day  did  he  remark 
in  her  hearing  that  a  sailor's  ship  was  his  sweetheart, 
while  his  treatment  of  his  small  prospective  brother-in- 
law,  when  he  expostulated  with  him  on  the  state  of  his 
wardrobe,  filled  that  hitherto  pampered  youth  with  amaze- 
ment. At  last,  on  the  fourth  night  out,  as  the  little  schooner 
was  passing  the  coast  of  Cornwall,  the  mate  came  up  to  him 
a£  he  was  steering,  and  patted  him  heavily  on  the  back. 

"It's  all  right,  cap'n,"  said  he.  "You've  lost  tho 
prettiest  little  girl  in  England." 


MATED  tii 

"  What  ?  **  said  the  skipper,  in  incredulous  tones. 

"Fact,"  replied  the  other.  "Here's  your  ring  back. 
I  wouldn't  let  her  wear  it  any  longer." 

"However  did  you  do  it?"  inquired  Evans,  taking  the 
ring  in  a  dazed  fashion. 

"  Oh,  easy  as  possible,"  said  the  mate.  "  She  liked  me 
best,  that 's  all." 

"  But  what  did  you  say  to  her  ?  "  persisted  Evans. 

The  other  reflected. 

"  I  can't  call  to  mind  exactly,"  he  said  at  length.  "  But, 
you  may  rely  upon  it,  I  said  everything  I  could  against  you. 
But  she  never  did  care  much  for  you.  She  told  me  so 
herself." 

"  I  wish  you  joy  of  your  bargain,"  said  Evans  solemnly, 
after  a  long  pause. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  demanded  the  mate  sharply. 

"  A  girl  like  that,"  said  the  skipper,  with  a  lump  in  his 
throat,  "  who  can  carry  on  with  two  men  at  once  ain't  worth 
having.     She 's  not  my  money,  that 's  all." 

The  mate  looked  at  him  in  honest  bewilderment 

"  Mark  my  words,"  continued  the  skipper  loftily,  "  you  11 
live  to  regret  it.  A  girl  like  that 's  got  no  ballast.  She  '11 
always  be  running  after  fresh  neckties." 

"  You  put  it  down  to  the  necktie,  do  you  ? "  sneered  the 
mate  wrathfully. 

"That  and  the  clothes,  cert'nly,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"  Well,  you  're  wrong,"  said  the  mate.  "  A  lot  you  know 
about  girls.  It  wasn't  your  old  clothes,  and  it  wasn't  all 
your  bad  behaviour  to  her  since  she 's  been  aboard.  You 
may  as  well  know  first  as  last.  She  wouldn't  have  nothing 
to  do  with  me  at  first,  so  I  told  her  all  about  Mary  Jones," 

*'  You  told  her  that  ?  "  cried  the  skipper  fiercely. 

"I  did,"  replied  the  other.  "She  was  pretty  wild  at 
first ;  but  then  the  comic  side  of  it  struck  her — you  wearing 


112  MANY   CARGOES 

them  old  clothes,  and  going  about  as  you  did.  She  used 
to  watch  you  until  she  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer,  and 
then  go  down  in  the  cabin  and  laugh.  Wonderful  spirits 
that  girl 's  got.     Hush  !  here  she  is  ! " 

As  he  spoke  the  girl  came  on  deck,  and,  seeing  the  two 
men  talking  together,  remained  at  a  short  distance  from 
them. 

"  It 's  all  right,  Jane,"  said  the  mate ;  "  I  've  told  him." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Miss  Cooper,  with  a  little  gasp. 

"I  can't  bear  deceit,"  said  the  mate;  "and  now  it's 
off  his  mind,  he 's  so  happy  he  can't  bear  himself." 

The  latter  part  of  this  assertion  seemed  to  be  more 
warranted  by  facts  than  the  former,  but  Evans  made 
a  choking  noise,  which  he  intended  as  a  sign  of  unbearable 
joy,  and,  relinquishing  the  wheel  to  the  mate,  walked 
forward.  The  clear  sky  was  thick  with  stars,  and  a  mind 
at  ease  might  have  found  enjoyment  in  the  quiet  beauty 
of  the  night,  but  the  skipper  was  too  interested  in  the 
behaviour  of  the  young  couple  at  the  wheel  to  give  it  a 
thought.  Immersed  in  each  other,  they  forgot  him  entirely, 
and  exchanged  little  playful  slaps  and  pushes,  which 
incensed  him  beyond  description.  Several  times  he  was 
on  the  point  of  exercising  his  position  as  commander  and 
ordering  the  mate  below,  but  in  the  circumstances  inter- 
ference was  impossible,  and,  with  a  low-voiced  good-night, 
he  went  below.  Here  his  gaze  fell  on  William  Henry,  who 
was  slumbering  peacefully,  and,  with  a  hazy  idea  of  the 
eternal  fitness  of  things,  he  raised  the  youth  in  his  arms, 
and,  despite  his  sleepy  protests,  deposited  him  in  the  mate's 
bunk.  Then,  with  head  and  heart  both  aching,  he  retired 
for  the  night. 

There  was  a  little  embarrassment  next  day,  but  it  soon 
passed  off,  and  the  three  adult  inmates  of  the  cabin  got  on 
quite  easy  terms  with  each  other.    The  most  worried  person 


MATED  113 

aft  was  the  boy,  who  had  not  been  taken  into  their  con- 
fidence, and  whose  face,  when  his  sister  sat  with  the  mate's 
ami  around  her  waist,  presented  to  the  skipper  a  perfect 
study  in  emotions. 

"  I  feel  quite  curious  to  see  this  Miss  Jones,"  said  Miss 
Cooper  amiably,  as  they  sat  at  dinner. 

"She'll  be  on  the  quay,  waving  her  handkerchief  to 
him,"  said  the  mate.  "  We  '11  be  in  to-morrow  afternoon, 
and  then  you  '11  see  her." 

As  it  happened,  the  mate  was  a  few  hours  out  in  his 
reckoning,  for  by  the  time  the  Falcon's  bows  were  laid  for 
the  small  harbour  it  waa  quite  dark,  and  the  little  schooner 
glided  in,  guided  by  the  two  lights  which  marked  the 
entrance.  The  quay,  seen  in  the  light  of  a  few  scattered 
lamps,  looked  dreary  enough,  and,  except  for  two  or  three 
indistinct  figures,  appeared  to  be  deserted.  Beyond,  the 
broken  lights  of  the  town  stood  out  more  clearly  as  the 
schooner  crept  slowly  over  the  dark  water  towards  her 
berth. 

"  Fine  night,  cap'n,"  said  the  watchman,  as  the  schooner 
came  gently  alongside  the  quay. 

The  skipper  grunted  assent.  He  was  peering  anxiously 
at  the  quay. 

"It's  too  late,"  said  the  mate.  "You  couldn't  expect 
her  this  time  o'  night.     It 's  ten  o'clock." 

"I'll  go  over  in  the  morning,"  said  Evans,  who,  now 
that  things  had  been  adjusted,  was  secretly  disappointed 
that  Miss  Cooper  had  not  witnessed  the  meeting.  "If 
you  're  not  going  ashore,  we  might  have  a  hand  0'  cards  as 
soon 's  we  're  made  fast." 

The  mate  assenting,  they  went  below,  and  were  soon 
deep  in  the  mysteries  of  three-hand  cribbage.  Evans, 
who  was  a  good  player,  surpassed  himself,  and  had  just 
won  the  first  game,  the  others  being  nowhere,  when  a  head 


114  MANY  CARGOES 

was  thrust  down  the  companion-way,  and  a  voice  like  a 
strained  foghorn  called  the  captain  by  name, 

"  Ay,  ay  1 "  yelled  Evans,  laying  down  his  hand. 

"Ill  come  down,  cap'n,"  said  the  voice,  and  the  mate 
just  had  time  to  whisper  "Old  Jones"  to  Miss  Cooper, 
when  a  man  of  mighty  bulk  filled  up  the  doorway  of  the 
little  cabin,  and  extended  a  huge  paw  to  Evans  and  the 
mate.  He  then  looked  at  the  lady,  and,  breathing  hard, 
waited. 

"Young  lady  o'  the  mate's,"  said  Evans  breathlessly, 
— "Miss  Cooper.  Sit  down,  cap'n.  Get  the  gin  out, 
Bill." 

"Not  for  me,"  said  Captain  Jones  firmly,  but  with  an 
obvious  effort. 

The  surprise  of  Evans  and  the  mate  admitted  of  no 
concealment;  but  it  passed  unnoticed  by  their  visitor, 
who,  fidgeting  in  his  seat,  appeared  to  be  labouring  with 
some  mysterious  problem.  After  a  long  pause,  during 
which  all  watched  him  anxiously,  he  reached  over  the  table 
and  shook  hands  with  Evans  again. 

"  Put  it  there,  cap'n,"  said  Evans,  much  affected  by  this 
token  of  esteem. 

The  old  man  rose  and  stood  looking  at  him,  with  his 
hand  on  his  shoulder;  he  then  shook  hands  for  the  third 
time,  and  patted  him  encouragingly  on  the  back. 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ? "  demanded  the  skipper  of  the 
Falcon  as  he  rose  to  his  feet,  alarmed  by  these  manifesta- 
tions of  feeling.     "  Is  Mary — is  she  ill  ?  " 

"Worse  than  that,"  said  the  other — " worse 'n  that,  my 
poor  boy ;  she 's  married  a  lobster  ! " 

The  effect  of  this  communication  upon  Evans  was 
tremendous;  but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  he  was  more 
surprised  than  Miss  Cooper,  who,  utterly  unversed  in 
military  terms,  strove  in  vain  to  realize  the  possibility  of 


MATED  si$ 

such  a  tnhalliance,  as  she  gazed  wildly  at  the  speaker  and 
squeaked  with  astonishment. 

*'  When  was  it  ?  "  asked  Evans  at  last,  in  a  dull  voice. 

"Thursday  fortnight,  at  ha'  past  eleven,"  said  the  old 
man.  "  He 's  a  sergeant  in  the  line.  I  would  have  written 
to  you,  but  I  thought  it  was  best  to  come  and  break  it  to 
you  gently.  Cheer  up,  my  boy;  there's  more  than  one 
Mary  Jones  in  the  world." 

With  this  undeniable  fact,  Captain  Jones  waved  a 
farewell  to  the  party  and  went  off,  leaving  them  to  digest 
his  news.  For  some  time  they  sat  still,  the  mate  and  Miss 
Cooper  exchanging  whispers,  until  at  length,  the  stillness 
becoming  oppressive,  they  withdrew  to  their  respective 
berths,  leaving  the  skipper  sitting  at  the  table,  gazing  hard 
at  a  knot  in  the  opposite  locker. 

For  long  after  their  departure  he  sat  thus,  amid  a  deep 
silence,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  giggle  from  the  state- 
room, or  an  idiotic  sniggering  from  the  direction  of  the 
mate's  bunk,  until,  recalled  to  mundane  affairs  by  the 
lamp  burning  itself  out,  he  went,  in  befitting  gloom,  to 
bed 


THE   RIVAL   BEAUTIES 

•'  T  F  you  hadn't  asked  me,"  said  the  night  watchman, 

JL  "I  should  never  have  told  you ;  but,  seeing  aa 
you  've  put  the  question  point  blank,  I  will  tell  you  .  my 
experience  of  it.  You  're  the  first  person  I  've  ever  opened 
my  lips  to  upon  the  subject,  for  it  was  so  eggstraordinary 
that  all  our  chaps  swore  as  they'd  keep  it  to  theirselves 
for  fear  of  being  disbelieved  and  jeered  at. 

"  It  happened  in  '84,  on  board  the  steamer  George 
Washington,  bound  from  Liverpool  to  New  York.  The 
first  eight  days  passed  without  anything  unusual  happening, 
but  on  the  ninth  I  was  standing  aft  with  the  first  mate, 
hauling  in  the  log,  when  we  hears  a  yell  from  aloft,  an* 
a  chap  what  we  called  Stuttering  Sam  come  down  as  if 
he  was  possessed,  and  rushed  up  to  the  mate  with  his  eyei 
nearly  starting  out  of  his  'ed. 

"  •  There 's  the  s-s-s-s-s-s-sis-sis-sip  1 '  ses  he. 

"  *  The  what  ? '  ses  the  mate. 

" '  The  s-s-sea-sea-sssssip  I ' 

"  •  Look  here,  my  lad,'  ses  the  mate,  taking  out  a  pocket- 
hankerchief  an'  wiping  his  face,  'you  just  tarn  your  'ed 
away  till  you  get  your  breath.  It 's  like  opening  a  bottle  o' 
soda  water  to  stand  talking  to  you.     Now,  what  is  it  ? ' 

"  *  It 's  the  ssssssis-sea-sea-sea-sarpmt  I '  ses  Sam,  with 
a  bust 

" '  Rather  a  long  un  by  your  account  of  it,'  ses  the  mate, 
with  a  grin. 

S16 


THE   RIVAL   BEAUTIES  «I7 

**  •  What 's  the  matter  ? '  ses  the  skipper,  who  Just  came 
up. 

'"This  man  has  seen  the  sea-sarpint,  sir,  that's  all,' 
ses  the  mate. 

" '  Y-y-yes,'  said  Sam,  with  a  sort  o'  sob. 

*• '  Well,  there  ain't  much  doing  just  now,'  ses  the 
skipper,  *  so  you  'd  better  get  a  slice  o'  bread  and  feed  it.' 

"  The  mate  bust  out  larfing,  an*  I  could  see  by  the  way 
the  skipper  smiled  he  was  rather  tickled  at  it  himself. 

"The  skipper  an'  the  mate  was  still  larfing  very  hearty 
when  we  heard  a  dreadful  'owl  from  the  bridge,  an'  one  o' 
the  chaps  suddenly  leaves  the  wheel,  jumps  on  to  the  deck, 
and  bolts  below  as  though  he  was  mad.  T'other  one 
follows  'm  a'most  d'reckly,  and  the  second  mate  caught 
hold  o'  the  wheel  as  he  left  it,  and  called  out  something 
we  couldn't  catch  to  the  skipper. 

"  *  What  the  d 's  the  matter  ?'  yells  the  skipper. 

"The  mate  pointed  to  starboard,  but  as  'is  'and  was 
shaking  so  that  one  minute  it  was  pointing  to  the  sky 
an'  the  next  to  the  bottom  o'  the  sea,  it  wasn't  much  of  a 
guide  to  us.  Even  when  he  got  it  steady  we  couldn't  see 
anything,  till  all  of  a  sudden,  about  two  miles  oflf,  some- 
thing like  a  telegraph  pole  stuck  up  out  of  the  water  for 
a  few  seconds,  and  then  ducked  down  again  and  made 
straight  for  the  ship. 

"  Sam  was  the  fust  to  speak,  and,  without  wasting  time 
stuttering  or  stammering,  he  said  he'd  go  down  and  see 
about  that  bit  o'  bread,  an'  he  went  afore  the  skipper  or 
the  mate  could  stop  'im. 

"  In  less  than  'arf  a  minute  there  was  only  the  three 
officers  an'  me  on  deck.  The  second  mate  was  holding 
the  wheel,  the  skipper  was  holding  his  breath,  and  the  first 
mate  was  holding  me.  It  was  one  o'  the  most  exciting 
times  I  ever  had. 


2i8  MANY  CARGOES 

"'Better  fire  the  gun  at  it,'  ses  the  skipper,  in  a 
trembling  voice,  looking  at  the  little  brass  cannon  we 
had  for  signalling. 

"'Better  not  give  him  any  cause  for  ofiFence,'  ses  the 
mate,  shaking  his  head. 

"'I  wonder  whether  it  eats  men/  ses  the  skipper. 
'  Perhaps  it  '11  come  for  some  of  us.' 

"'There  ain't  many  on  deck  for  it  to  choose  from,' 
ses  the  mate,  looking  at  'im  significant  like. 

" '  That 's  true,'  ses  the  skipper,  very  thoughtful ;  '  I  '11  go 
an'  send  all  hands  on  deck.  As  captain,  it 's  my  duty  not 
to  leave  the  ship  till  the  last,  if  I  can  anyways  help  it.' 

"  How  he  got  them  on  deck  has  always  been  a  wonder  to 
me,  but  he  did  it.  He  was  a  brutal  sort  o'  a  man  at 
the  best  o'  times,  an'  he  carried  on  so  much  that  I  s'pose 
they  thought  even  the  sarpint  couldn't  be  worse.  Anyway, 
up  they  came,  an'  we  all  stood  in  a  crowd  watching  the 
sarpint  as  it  came  closer  and  closer. 

"We  reckoned  it  to  be  about  a  hundred  yards  long, 
an'  it  was  about  the  most  awful-looking  creetur  you  could 
ever  imagine.  If  you  took  all  the  ugliest  things  in  the 
earth  and  mixed  'em  up — gorillas  an'  the  like — you  'd  only 
make  a  hangel  compared  to  what  that  was.  It  just  hung 
ofiF  our  quarter,  keeping  up  with  us,  and  every  now  and 
then  it  would  open  its  mouth  and  let  us  see  about  four 
yards  down  its  throat. 

'"It  seems  peaceable,'  whispers  the  fust  mate,  arter 
awhile. 

" '  P'raps  it  ain't  hungry,'  ses  the  skipper.  '  We  'd  better 
not  let  it  get  peckish.     Try  it  with  a  loaf  o'  bread.' 

"  The  cook  went  below  and  fetched  up  half-a-dozen,  an' 
one  o'  the  chaps,  plucking  up  courage,  slung  it  over  the 
side,  an'  afore  you  could  say  '  Jack  Robinson '  the  sarpint 
had  woffled  it  up  an'  was  looking  for  more.     It  stuck  its 


THE   RIVAL   BEAUTIES  119 

head  up  and  came  close  to  the  side  just  like  the  swans 
in  Victoria  Park,  an'  it  kept  that  game  up  until  it  had 
'ad  ten  loaves  an'  a  hunk  o'  pork. 

"  *  I  'm  afraid  we  're  encouraging  it,'  ses  the  skipper, 
looking  at  it  as  it  swam  alongside  with  an  eye  as  big 
as  a  saucer  cocked  on  the  ship. 

"'P'raps  it'll  go  away  soon  if  we  don't  take  no  more 
notice  of  it,'  ses  the  mate.     *  Just  pretend  it  isn't  here.' 

"  Well,  we  did  pretend  as  well  as  we  could ;  but  every- 
body hugged  the  port  side  o'  the  ship,  and  was  ready  to 
bolt  down  below  at  the  shortest  notice ;  and  at  last,  when 
the  beast  got  craning  its  neck  up  over  the  side  as  though  it 
was  looking  for  something,  we  gave  it  some  more  grub. 
We  thought  if  we  didn't  give  it  he  might  take  it,  and  take  it 
off  the  wrong  shelf,  so  to  speak.  But,  as  the  mate  said,  it 
was  encouraging  it,  and  long  arter  it  was  dark  we  could 
hear  it  snorting  and  splashing  behind  us,  until  at  last 
it  'ad  such  an  effect  on  us  the  mate  sent  one  o'  the  chaps 
down  to  rouse  the  skipper. 

♦•  •  I  don't  think  it  '11  do  no  'arm,'  ses  the  skipper,  peering 
over  the  side,  and  speaking  as  though  he  knew  all  about 
sea-sarpints  and  their  ways. 

"  *  S'pose  it  puts  its  'ead  over  the  side  and  takes  one 
o'  the  men,'  ses  the  mate. 

" '  Let  me  know  at  once,'  ses  the  skipper  firmly ;  an'  he 
went  below  agin  and  left  us. 

"Well,  I  was  jolly  glad  when  eight  bells  struck,  an'  I 
went  below;  an'  if  ever  I  hoped  anything  I  hoped  that 
when  I  go  up  that  ugly  brute  would  have  gone,  but,  instead 
o'  that,  when  I  went  on  deck  it  was  playing  alongside 
like  a  kitten  a'most,  an'  one  o'  the  chaps  told  me  as  the 
skipper  had  been  feeding  it  agin. 

"•It's  a  wonderful  animal,'  ses  the  skipper,  'an'  there's 
none  of  you    now  but  has   seen  the  sea-sarpintj   but  I 


ito  MANY  CARGOES 

forbid  any  man  here  to  say  a  word  about  it  when  wo 
get  ashore.' 

" '  Why  not,  sir?'  ses  the  second  mate. 

"'Becos  you  wouldn't  be  believed,'  said  the  skippei 
sternly.  'You  might  all  go  ashore  and  kiss  the  Book 
an'  make  affidavits  an'  not  a  soul  'ud  believe  you.  The 
comic  papers  'ud  make  fun  of  it,  and  the  respectable  papers 
*ud  say  it  was  seaweed  or  gulls.' 

"Why  not  take  it  to  New  York  with  us?'  ses  the 
fust  mate  suddenly. 

" '  What  ? '  ses  the  skipper. 

"  *  Feed  it  every  day,'  ses  the  mate,  getting  excited,  *  and 
bait  a  couple  of  shark  hooks  and  keep  'em  ready,  together 
with  some  wire  rope.  Git  'im  to  feller  us  as  far  as  he  will, 
and  then  hook  him.  We  might  git  him  in  alive  and  show 
him  at  a  sovereign  a  head.  Anyway,  we  can  take  in 
his  carcase  if  we  manage  it  properly.' 

"  '  By  Jove  1  if  we  only  could,'  ses  the  skipper,  getting 
excited  too. 

"'We  can  try,*  ses  the  mate.  'Why,  we  could  have 
noosed  it  this  mornin'  if  we  had  liked;  and  if  it 
breaks  the  lines  we  must  blow  its  head  to  pieces  with  the 
gun.' 

"  It  seemed  a  most  eggstraordinary  thing  to  try  and 
catch  it  that  way ;  but  the  beast  was  so  tame,  and  stuck  so 
close  to  us,  that  it  wasn't  quite  so  ridikilous  as  it  seemed  at 
fust. 

"  Arter  a  couple  o'  days  nobody  minded  the  animal  a  bit, 
for  it  was  about  the  most  nervous  thing  of  its  size  you  ever 
saw.  It  hadn't  got  the  soul  of  a  mouse ;  and  one  day 
when  the  second  mate,  just  for  a  lark,  took  the  line  of 
the  foghorn  in  his  hand  and  tooted  it  a  bit,  it  flung  up 
its  'ead  in  a  scared  sort  o'  way,  and,  after  backing  a  bit, 
turned  clean  round  and  bolted. 


THE   RIVAL  BEAUTIES  S2i 

•*  I  thought  the  skipper  'ud  have  gone  mad.  He  chucked 
over  loaves  o'  bread,  bits  o'  beef  and  pork,  an'  scores 
o'  biskits,  and  by-and-bye,  when  the  brute  plucked  up  heart 
an'  came  arter  us  again,  he  fairly  beamed  with  joy.  Then 
he  gave  orders  that  nobody  was  to  touch  the  horn  for 
any  reason  whatever,  not  even  if  there  was  a  fog,  or  chance 
of  collision,  or  anything  of  the  kind;  an'  he  also  gave 
orders  that  the  bells  wasn't  to  be  struck,  but  that  the  bosen 
was  just  to  shove  'is  'ead  in  the  fo'c's'le  and  call  'em 
out  instead. 

"Arter  three  days  had  passed,  and  the  thing  was  still 
foUering  us,  everybody  made  certain  of  taking  it  to 
New  York,  an'  I  b'leeve  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Joe  Cooper 
the  question  about  the  sea-sarpint  would  ha'  been  settled 
long  ago.  He  was  a  most  eggstraordinary  ugly  chap  was 
Joe.  He  had  a  perfic  cartoon  of  a  face,  an'  he  was  so 
delikit-minded  and  sensitive  about  it  that  if  a  chap  only 
stopped  in  the  street  and  whistled  as  he  passed  him, 
or  pointed  him  out  to  a  friend,  he  didn't  like  it.  He 
told  me  once  when  I  was  symperthizing  with  him,  that  the 
only  time  a  woman  ever  spoke  civilly  to  him  was  one  night 
down  Poplar  way  in  a  fog,  an'  he  was  so  'appy  about  it  that 
they  both  walked  into  the  canal  afore  he  knew  where 
they  was. 

"  On  the  fourth  morning,  when  we  was  only  about  three 
days  from  Sandy  Hook,  the  skipper  got  out  o'  bed  wrong 
side,  an'  when  he  went  on  deck  he  was  ready  to  snap 
at  anybody,  an'  as  luck  would  have  it,  as  he  walked  a 
bit  forrard,  he  sees  Joe  a-sticking  his  phiz  over  the  side 
looking  at  the  sarpint. 

"  '  What  the  d are  you  doing  ? '  shouts  the  skipper. 

•What  do  you  mean  by  it?' 

•*  *  Mean  by  what,  sir  ?  '  asks  Joa 

•• '  Putting  your  black   ugly  face  over  the  side  o*  the 


tit  MANY   CARGOES 

ship  an'  frightening  my  sea-sarpint ! '  bellows  the  skipper. 
'You  Know  how  easy  it's  skeered.' 

"  '  Frightening  the  sea-sarpint  ? '  ses  Joe,  trembling  all 
over,  an'  turning  very  white. 

"  *  If  I  see  that  face  o'  yours  over  the  side  agin,  my  lad,' 
ses  the  skipper  very  fierce,  *  I  '11  give  it  a  black  eye.  Now 
cut!' 

"  Joe  cut,  an'  the  skipper,  having  worked  off  some  of  his 
ill-temper,  went  aft  again  and  began  to  chat  with  the  mate 
quite  pleasant  like.  I  was  down  below  at  the  time,  an' 
didn't  know  anything  about  it  for  hours  arter,  and  then 
I  heard  it  from  one  o'  the  firemen.  He  comes  up  to  me 
very  mysterious  like,  an'  ses,  '  Bill,'  he  ses,  '  you  're  a  pal  d' 
Joe's  ;  come  down  here  an'  see  what  you  can  make  of  'im.' 

"Not  knowing  what  he  meant,  I  follered  'im  below 
to  the  engine-room,  an'  there  was  Joe  sitting  on  a  bucket 
staring  wildly  in  front  of  'im,  and  two  or  three  of  'em  stand- 
ing round  looking  at  'im  with  their  'eads  on  one  side. 

" '  He 's  been  like  that  for  three  hours,'  ses  the  second 
engineer  in  a  whisper,  'dazed  like.' 

"As  he  spoke  Joe  gave  a  little  shudder;  'Frighten 
the  sea-sarpint ! '  ses  he,  '  O  Lord  ! ' 

" '  It 's  turned  his  brain,'  ses  one  o'  the  firemen,  '  he 
keeps  saying  nothing  but  that' 

" '  If  we  could  only  make  'im  cry,'  ses  the  second 
engineer,  who  had  a  brother  what  was  a  medical  student, 
*it  might  save  his  reason.  But  how  to  do  it,  that's  the 
question.' 

"  '  Speak  kind  to  'im,  sir,*  ses  the  fireman.  •  I  '11  have  a 
try  if  you  don't  mind.'  He  cleared  his  throat  first,  an'  then 
he  walks  over  to  Joe  and  puts  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  an' 
ses  very  soft  an'  pitiful  like : 

"  '  Don't  take  on,  Joe,  don't  take  on,  there 's  many  « 
ugly  mug  'ides  a  good  'art' 


THE   RIVAL   BEAUTIES  ttt 

"  Afore  he  cOuld  think  o'  anything  else  to  say,  Joe 
ups  with  his  fist  an'  gives  'im  one  in  the  ribs  as  nearly 
broke  'em.  Then  he  turns  away  'is  'ead  an'  shivers  again, 
an'  the  old  dazed  look  come  back. 

"  'Joe,'  I  ses,  shaking  him,  '  Joe  ! ' 

•* '  Frightened  the  sea-sarpint ! '  whispers  Joe,  staring. 

"  '  Joe,'  I  ses,  '  Joe.     Vou  know  me,  I  'm  your  pal,  Bill.' 

"  '  Ay,  ay,'  ses  Joe,  coming  round  a  bit. 

"  •  Come  away,'  1  ses,  *  come  an'  git  to  bed,  that 's 
the  best  place  for  you.' 

"  I  took  'im  by  the  sleeve,  and  he  gets  up  quiet  an' 
obedient  and  foUers  me  like  a  little  child.  I  got  'im 
straight  into  'is  bunk,  an'  arter  a  time  he  fell  into  a  soft 
slumber,  an*  I  thought  the  worst  had  passed,  but  I  was  mis- 
taken. He  got  up  in  three  hours'  time  an'  seemed  all  right, 
'cept  that  he  walked  about  as  though  he  was  thinking  very 
hard  about  something,  an'  before  I  could  make  out  what  it 
was  he  had  a  fit. 

"He  was  in  that  fit  ten  minutes,  an'  he  was  no  sooner 
out  o'  that  one  than  he  was  in  another.  In  twenty-four 
hours  he  had  six  full-sized  fits,  and  I  '11  allow  I  was 
fairly  puzzled.  What  pleasure  he  could  find  in  tumbling 
down  hard  and  stiff  an'  kicking  at  everybody  an'  everything 
I  couldn't  see.  He  'd  be  standing  quiet  and  peaceable  like 
one  minute,  and  the  next  he'd  catch  hold  o'  the  nearest 
thing  to  him  and  have  a  bad  fit,  and  lie  on  his  back 
and  kick  us  while  we  was  trying  to  force  open  his  hands  to 
pat  'em. 

"The  other  chaps  said  the  skipper's  insult  had  turned 
his  brain,  but  I  wasn't  quite  so  soft,  an'  one  time  when 
he  was  alone  I  put  it  to  him. 

'"Joe,  old  man,'  I  ses,  'you  an'  me's  been  very  good 
pals.' 

"  '  Ay,  ay,'  ses  he,  suspicious  like. 


**4 


MANY   CARGOES 


•'  •  Joe,'  I  whispers,  *  what 's  yer  little  game  ?  * 

*' '  Wodyermean  ?  '  scs  he,  very  short. 

•'  •  I  mean  the  fits,'  ses  I,  looking  at  'im  very  steady. 
'It's  no  good  looking  hinnercent  like  that,  'cos  I  see 
yer  chewing  soap  with  my  own  eyes.' 

*' '  Soap,'  ses  Joe,  in  a  nasty  sneering  way,  *  you  wouldn't 
reckernise  a  piece  if  you  saw  it' 

"  After  that  I  could  see  there  was  nothing  to  be  got  out 
of  'im,  an'  I  just  kept  my  eyes  open  and  watched.  The 
skipper  didn't  worry  about  his  fits,  'cept  that  he  said 
he  wasn't  to  let  the  sarpint  see  his  face  when  he  was  in 
'em  for  fear  of  scaring  it;  an'  when  the  mate  wanted  to 
leave  him  out  o'  the  watch,  he  ses,  'No,  he  might  us 
well  have  fits  while  at  work  as  well  as  anywhere  else.' 

"  We  were  about  twenty-four  hours  from  port,  an'  the 
sarpint  was  still  following  us ;  and  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening  the  officers  puffected  all  their  arrangements  for 
ketching  the  creetur  at  eight  o'clock  next  morning.  To 
make  quite  sure  of  it  an  extra  watch  was  kept  on  deck 
all  night  to  chuck  it  food  every  half-hour;  an'  when  I 
turned  in  at  ten  o'clock  that  night  it  was  so  close  I 
could  have  reached  it  with  a  clothes-prop. 

"  I  think  I  'd  been  abed  about  'arf-an-hour  when  I  was 
awoke  by  the  most  infernal  row  I  ever  heard.  The  foghorn 
was  going  incessantly,  an'  there  was  a  lot  o'  shouting 
and  running  about  on  deck.  It  struck  us  all  as  'ow  the 
sarpint  was  gitting  tired  o'  bread,  and  was  misbehaving 
himself,  consequently  we  just  shoved  our  'eds  out  o' 
the  fore-scuttle  and  listened.  All  the  hullaballoo  seemed  to 
be  on  the  bridge,  an'  as  we  didn't  see  the  sarpint  there 
we  plucked  up  courage  and  went  on  deck. 

"  Then  we  saw  what  had  happened.  Joe  had  'ad 
another  fit  while  at  the  wheel,  and,  fw/  knowing  what 
he  was  doing,  had  clutched  the  line  of  the  foghorn,  and  was 


THE   RIVAL   BEAUTIES  t»5 

holding  on  to  it  like  grim  death,  and  kicking  right  and  left 
The  skipper  was  in  his  bedclothes,  raving  worse  than  Joe ; 
and  just  as  we  got  there  Joe  came  round  a  bit,  and, 
letting  go  o'  the  line,  asked  in  a  faint  voice  what  the 
foghorn  was  blowing  for,  I  thought  the  skipper  'ud 
have  killed  him ;  but  the  second  mate  held  him  back, 
an',  of  course,  when  things  quieted  down  a  bit,  an'  we 
went  to  the  side,  we  found  the  sea-sarpint  had  vanished. 

"We  stayed  there  all  that  night,  but  it  warn't  no  use. 
When  day  broke  there  wasn't  the  slightest  trace  of  it,  an'  I 
think  the  men  was  as  sorry  to  lose  it  as  the  officers. 
All  'cept  Joe,  that  is,  which  shows  how  people  should  never 
be  rude,  even  to  the  humblest ;  for  I  'm  sartin  that  if 
the  skipper  hadn't  hurt  his  feelings  the  way  he  did  we 
should  now  know  as  much  about  the  sea-sarpint  ai 
we  do  about  our  own  brothers." 


MRS.  BUNKER'S  CHAPERON 

MATILDA  stood  at  the  open  door  of  a  house 
attached  to  a  wharf  situated  in  that  dreary  district 
which  bears  the  high-sounding  name  of  "  St.  Katharine's." 

Work  was  over  for  the  day.  A  couple  of  unhorsed  vans 
were  pushed  up  the  gangway  by  the  side  of  the  house,  and 
the  big  gate  was  closed.  The  untidy  office  which  occupied 
the  ground-floor  was  deserted,  except  for  a  grey-bearded 
"  housemaid  "  of  sixty,  who  was  sweeping  it  through  with  a 
broom,  and  indulging  in  a  few  sailorly  oaths  at  the  choking 
qualities  of  the  dust  he  was  raising. 

The  sound  of  advancing  footsteps  stopped  at  the  gate,  a 
•mall  flap-door  let  in  it  flew  open,  and  Matilda  Bunker's 
open  coimtenance  took  a  pinkish  hue,  as  a  small  man  in 
jersey  and  blue  coat,  with  a  hard  round  hat  exceeding  high 
in  the  crown,  stepped  inside. 

"Good  evening,  Mrs.  Bunker,  ma'am,"  said  he,  coming 
slowly  up  to  her. 

"Good  evening,  captain,"  said  the  lady,  who  was  Mrs. 
only  by  virtue  of  her  age  and  presence. 

"Fresh  breeze,"  said  the  man  in  the  high  round  hat 
"  If  this  lasts  we  '11  be  in  Ipswich  in  no  time." 

Mrs.  Bunker  assented. 

"  Beautiful  the  river  is  at  present,"  continued  the  captain. 
"Everything  growing  splendid." 

**  In  the  river  ?  "  asked  the  mystified  Mrs.  Bunker. 

"On  the   banks/'  said  the  captain ;    "  the    trees,  by 

aa6 


MRS.  BUNKER'S  CHAPERON  ttj 

Sheppey,  and  all  round  there.  Now,  why  don't  you  say  the 
word,  and  come?  There's  a  cabin  like  a  new  pin  ready 
for  you  to  sit  in — for  cleanness,  I  mean — and  every  accom- 
modation you  could  require.  Sleep  like  a  humming-top 
you  will,  if  you  come." 

"  Humming-top  ?  "  queried  Mrs.  Bunker  archly. 

"Any  top,"  said  the  captain.  "Come,  make  up  youf 
mind.     We  shan't  sail  afore  nine." 

"It  don't  look  right,"  said  the  lady,  who  was  sorely 
tempted.  "  But  the  missus  says  I  may  go  if  I  like,  so  I  '11 
just  go  and  get  my  box  ready.  I  '11  be  down  on  the  jetty 
at  nine." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  skipper,  smiling,  "  me  and  Bill  11  just 
have  a  snooze  till  then.     So  long." 

"  So  long,"  said  Matilda. 

"So  long,"  repeated  the  amorous  skipper,  and  turning 
round  to  bestow  another  ardent  glance  upon  the  fair  one  at 
the  door,  crashed  into  the  waggon. 

The  neighbouring  clocks  were  just  striking  nine  in  a  sort 
of  yelping  chorus  to  the  heavy  boom  of  Big  Ben,  which 
came  floating  down  the  river,  as  Mrs.  Bunker  and  the  night 
watchman,  staggering  under  a  load  of  luggage,  slowly  made 
their  way  on  to  the  jetty.  The  barge,  for  such  was  the 
craft  in  question,  was  almost  level  with  the  planks,  while 
the  figures  of  two  men  darted  to  and  fro  in  all  the  bustle  of 
getting  under  way. 

"  Bill,"  said  the  watchman,  addressing  the  mate,  "  bear  a 
hand  with  this  box,  and  be  careful,  it's  got  the  wedding 
clothes  inside." 

The  watchman  was  so  particularly  pleased  with  this  little 
joke  that  in  place  of  giving  the  box  to  Bill  he  put  it  down 
and  sat  on  it,  shaking  convulsively  with  his  hand  over  his 
mouth,  while  the  blushing  Matilda  and  the  discomfited 
captain  strove  in  vain  to  appear  unconcerned. 


i»8  MANY   CARGOES 

The  packages  were  rather  a  tight  squeeze  for  the  cabin, 
but  they  managed  to  get  them  in,  and  the  skipper,  with 
a  threatening  look  at  his  mate,  who  was  exchanging  glances 
of  exquisite  humour  with  the  watchman,  gave  his  hand  to 
Mrs.  Bunker  and  helped  her  aboard. 

"  Welcome  on  the  Sir  Edmund  Lyons,  Mrs.  Bunker," 
said  he.     "  Bill,  kick  that  dawg  back." 

"  Stop ! "  said  Mrs.  Bunker  hastily,  "  that 's  my  chap- 
perong." 

"Your  what?"  said  the  skipper.  "It's  a  dawg,  Mrs. 
Bunker,  an'  I  won't  have  no  dawgs  aboard  my  craft." 

"Bill,"  said  Mrs.  Bunker,  "fetch  my  box  up  agairL** 

"Leastways,"  the  captain  hastened  to  add,  "unless  it's 
any  friend  of  yours,  Mrs.  Bunker." 

"It's  chaperoning  me,"  said  Matilda;  "it  wouldn't  be 
proper  for  a  lady  to  go  a  v'y'ge  with  two  men  without  some- 
body to  look  after  her." 

"That's  right,  Sam,"  said  the  watchman  sententiously. 
**  You  ought  to  know  that  at  your  age." 

"  Why,  we  're  looking  after  her,"  said  the  simple-minded 
captain.     "  Me  an'  Bill." 

"  Take  care  Bill  don't  cut  you  out,"  said  the  watchman 
in  a  hoarse  whisper,  distinctly  audible  to  all  "He's 
younger  nor  what  you  are,  Sam,  an'  the  wimmen  are  just 
crazy  arter  young  men.  'Sides  which,  he's  a  finer  man 
altogether.     An'  you  've  had  one  wife  a'ready,  Sam." 

"Cast  off!"  said  the  skipper  impatiently.  "Cast  oflFI 
Stand  by  there,  Bill  1 " 

"  Ay,  ay  1 "  said  Bill,  seizing  a  boat-hook,  and  the  lines 
fell  into  the  water  with  a  splash  as  the  barge  was  pushed 
out  into  the  tide. 

Mrs.  Bunker  experienced  the  usual  trouble  of  landsmen 
aboard  ship,  and  felt  herself  terribly  in  the  way  as  the 
skipper  divided  his  attentions  between  the  tiller  and  helping 


MRS.  BUNKER'S  CHAPERON 


**9 


BUI  with  the  sail.  Meantime  the  barge  had  bothered 
most  of  the  traffic  by  laying  across  the  river,  and  when  the 
sail  was  hoisted  had  got  under  the  lee  of  a  huge  warehouse 
and  scarcely  moved. 

"We'll  feel  the  breeze  directly,"  said  Captain  Codd, 
*•  Then  you  '11  see  what  she  can  do." 

As  he  spoke,  the  barge  began  to  slip  through  the  water 
as  a  light  breeze  took  her  huge  sail  and  carried  her  into 
the  stream,  where  she  fell  into  line  with  other  craft  who 
were  just  making  a  start. 

At  a  pleasant  pace,  with  wind  and  tide,  the  Sir  Edmund 
Lyons  proceeded  on  its  way,  her  skipper  cocking  his  eye 
aloft  and  along  her  decks  to  point  out  various  beauties  to 
his  passenger  which  she  might  otherwise  have  overlooked. 
A  comfortable  supper  was  spread  on  the  deck,  and  Mrs. 
Bunker  began  to  think  regretfully  of  the  pleasure  she  had 
missed  in  taking  up  barge-sailing  so  late  in  life. 

Greenwich,  with  its  white-fronted  hospital  and  back- 
ground of  trees,  was  passed.  The  air  got  sensibly  cooler, 
and  to  Mrs.  Bunker  it  seemed  that  the  water  was  not  only 
getting  darker,  but  also  lumpy,  and  she  asked  two  or  three 
times  whether  there  was  any  danger. 

The  skipper  laughed  gaily,  and  diving  down  into  the 
cabin  fetched  up  a  shawl,  which  he  placed  carefully  round 
his  fair  companion's  shoulders.  His  right  hand  grasped 
the  tiller,  his  left  stole  softly  and  carefully  round  her 
waist. 

"How  enjoyable  I"  said  Mrs.  Bunker,  referring  to  the 
evening. 

'•  Glad  you  like  it,"  said  the  skipper,  who  wasn't.  "  Oh, 
how  pleasant  to  go  sailing  down  the  river  of  life  like  this, 
everything  quiet  and  peaceful,  just  driftin'  " 

"Ahoyl"  yelled  the  mate  suddenly  from  the  bowt, 
**  Who 's  steering  ?    Starbud  your  helium." 


tjo  MANY  CARGOES 

The  skipper  started  guiltily,  and  put  his  helm  to  star- 
board as  another  barge  came  up  suddenly  from  the  opposite 
direction  and  almost  grazed  them.  There  were  two  men 
on  board,  and  the  skipper  blushed  for  their  fluency  as 
reflecting  upon  the  order  in  general. 

It  was  some  little  time  before  they  could  settle  down 
again  after  this,  but  ultimately  they  got  back  in  their 
old  position,  and  the  infatuated  Codd  was  just  about  to 
wax  sentimental  again,  when  he  felt  something  behind  him. 
He  turned  with  a  start  as  a  portly  retriever  inserted  his 
head  under  his  left  arm,  and  slowly  but  vigorously  forced 
himself  between  them ;  then  he  sat  on  his  haunches  and 
panted,  while  the  disconcerted  Codd  strove  to  reaUse  the 
humour  of  the  position. 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  to  bed  now,"  said  Mrs.  Bunker,  after 
the  position  had  lasted  long  enough  to  be  unendurable. 
•'If  anything  happens,  a  collision  or  anything,  don't  be 
afraid  to  let  me  know." 

The  skipper  promised,  and,  shaking  hands,  bade  his 
passenger  good-night.  She  descended,  somewhat  clumsily, 
it  is  true,  into  the  Uttle  cabin,  and  the  skipper,  sitting  by 
the  helm,  which  he  lazily  manoeuvred  as  required,  smoked 
his  short  clay  and  fell  into  a  lover's  reverie. 

So  he  sat  and  smoked  until  the  barge,  which  had,  by  the 
help  of  the  breeze,  been  making  its  way  against  the  tide, 
began  to  realise  that  that  good  friend  had  almost  dropped, 
and  at  the  same  time  bethought  itself  of  a  small  anchor 
which  hung  over  the  bows  ready  for  emergencies  such  as 
these. 

♦'  We  must  bring  up.  Bill,"  said  the  skipper. 

"Ay,  ay!"  said  Bill,  sleepily  raising  himself  from  the 
hatchway.     "  Over  she  goes." 

With  no  more  ceremony  than  this  he  dropped  the 
anchor;  the  sail,  with  two  strong  men  hauling  on  to  il, 


MRS.  BUNKER'S  CHAPERON  sji 

creaked  and  rustled  its  way  close  to  the  mast,  and  the  Sir 
Edmund  Lyons  was  ready  for  sleep. 

"  I  can  do  with  a  nap,"  said  Bill.     "  I  'm  dog-tired." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  the  other.  "  It  '11  be  a  tight  fit  down 
for'ard,  but  we  couldn't  ask  a  lady  to  sleep  there," 

Bill  gave  a  non-committal  grunt,  and  as  the  captain,  after 
the  manner  of  his  kind,  took  a  last  look  round  before 
retiring,  placed  his  hands  on  the  hatch  and  lowered  himself 
down.  The  next  moment  he  came  up  with  a  wild  yell, 
and,  sitting  on  the  deck,  rolled  up  his  trousers  and  fondled 
his  leg. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper. 

"That  blessed  dog's  down  there,  that's  all,"  said  the 
injured  Bill.  "  He  *s  evidently  mistook  it  for  his  kennel, 
and  I  don't  wonder  at  it.  I  thought  he  'd  been  wonderful 
quiet." 

"  We  must  talk  him  over,"  said  the  skipper,  advancing  to 
the  hatchway.  "  Poor  dog !  Poor  old  chap  !  Come  along, 
then !  Come  along  ! "  He  patted  his  leg  and  whistled, 
and  the  dog,  which  wanted  to  get  to  sleep  again,  growled 
like  a  small  thunderstorm. 

"  Come  on,  old  fellow  1 "  said  the  skipper  enticingly. 
"  Come  along,  come  on,  then  1 " 

The  dog  came  at  last,  and  then  the  skipper,  instead  of 
staying  to  pat  him,  raced  Bill  up  the  ropes,  while  the  brute, 
in  execrable  taste,  paced  up  and  down  the  deck  daring 
them  to  come  down.  Coming  to  the  conclusion,  at  last, 
that  they  were  settled  for  the  night,  he  returned  to  the  fore- 
castle  and,  after  a  warning  bark  or  two,  turned  in  again. 
Both  men,  after  waiting  a  few  minutes,  cautiously  regained 
the  deck. 

"  You  call  him  up  again,"  said  Bill,  seizing  a  boat-hook, 
and  holding  it  at  the  charge. 

"Certainly  not,"  said  the  other.  **I  won't  have  no 
blood  spilt  aboard  my  ship." 


a%%  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Who  *s  going  to  spill  blood  ?  "  asked  the  Jesuitical  Bill ; 
*'  but  if  he  likes  to  run  hisself  on  to  the  boat-hook  " 

"  Put  it  down,"  said  the  skipper  sternly,  and  Bill  sullenly 
obeyed. 

"  We  '11  have  to  snooze  on  deck,"  said  Codd. 

"And  mind  we  don't  snore,"  said  the  sarcastic  Bill, 
**  'cos  the  dog  mightn't  like  it." 

Without  noticing  this  remark  the  captain  stretched  him- 
self on  the  hatches,  and  Bill,  after  a  few  more  grumbles, 
followed  his  example,  and  both  men  were  soon  asleep. 

Day  was  breaking  when  they  awoke  and  stretched  their 
stiffened  limbs,  for  the  air  was  fresh,  with  a  suspicion  of 
moisture  in  it.  Two  or  three  small  craft  were,  like  them 
selves,  riding  at  anchor,  their  decks  wet  and  deserted; 
others  were  getting  under  way  to  take  advantage  of  the 
tide,  which  had  just  turned. 

"Up  with  the  anchor,"  said  the  skipper,  seizing  a  hand- 
spike and  thrusting  it  into  the  windlass. 

As  the  rusty  chain  came  in,  an  ominous  growling  came 
from  below,  and  Bill  snatched  his  handspike  out  and 
raised  it  aloft.  The  skipper  gazed  meditatively  at  the 
shore,  and  the  dog,  as  it  came  bounding  up,  gazed 
meditatively  at  the  handspike.  Then  it  yawned,  an  easy, 
unconcerned  yawn,  and  commenced  to  pace  the  deck,  and 
coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the  men  were  only  engaged 
in  necessary  work,  regarded  their  efforts  with  a  lenient  eye, 
and  barked  encouragingly  as  they  hoisted  the  sail. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning.  The  miniature  river  waves 
broke  against  the  blunt  bows  of  the  barge,  and  passed  by 
her  sides  rippling  musically.  Over  the  flat  Essex  marshes 
a  white  mist  was  slowly  dispersing  before  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  the  trees  on  the  Kentish  hills  were  black  and 
drenched  with  moisture. 

A  little  later  smoke  issued  from  the  tiny  cowl  over  the 


MRS.  BUNKER'S  CHAPERON  233 

fo'c'sle  and  rolled  in  a  little  pungent  cloud  to  the  Kentish 
shore.  Then  a  delicious  odour  of  frying  steak  rose  from 
below,  and  fell  like  healing  balm  upon  the  susceptible 
nostrils  of  the  skipper  as  he  stood  at  the  helm. 

"  Is  Mrs.  Bunker  getting  up  ?  "  inquired  the  mate,  as  he 
emerged  from  the  fo'c'sle  and  walked  aft. 

"  I  believe  so,"  said  the  skipper.  "  There's  movements 
below." 

"'Cos  the  steak's  ready  and  waiting,"  said  the  mate. 
**  I've  put  it  on  a  dish  in  front  of  the  fire." 

"  Ay,  ay !  "  said  the  skipper. 

The  mate  lit  his  pipe  and  sat  down  on  the  hatchway, 
slowly  smoking.  He  removed  it  a  couple  of  minutes  later, 
to  stare  in  bewilderment  at  the  unwonted  behaviour  of  the 
dog,  which  came  up  to  the  captain  and  affectionately 
licked  his  hands. 

"He's  took  quite  a  fancy  to  me,"  said  the  delighted 
man. 

"  Love  me  love  my  dog,"  quoted  Bill  waggishly,  as  he 
strolled  forward  again. 

The  skipper  was  fondly  punching  the  dog,  which  was 
now  on  its  back  with  its  four  legs  in  the  air,  when  he 
heard  a  terrible  cry  from  the  fo'c'sle,  and  the  mate  came 
rushing  wildly  on  deck. 

"  Where's  that dog  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  Don't  you  talk  like  that  aboard  my  ship.  Where's 
your  manners  ?"  cried  the  skipper  hotly. 

" the  manners  !  "  said  the  mate,  with  tears  in  his 

eyes.  "  Where's  that  dog's  manners  ?  He's  eaten  all 
that  steak." 

Before  the  other  could  reply,  the  scuttle  over  the  cabin 
was  drawn,  and  the  radiant  face  of  Mrs.  Bunker  appeared 
at  the  opening. 

**  I  can  smell  breakfast,"  she  said  archly. 


t34  MANY  CARGOES 

"  No  wonder,  with  that  dog  so  close,"  said  Bill  grimly. 

Mrs.  Bunker  looked  at  the  captain  for  an  explanation. 

"  He 's  ate  it,"  said  that  gentleman  briefly.  "  A  pound 
and  a  'arf  o'  the  best  rump  steak  in  Wapping." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Bunker  sweetly,  "cook  some 
more.     I  can  wait." 

"Cook  some  more,"  said  the  skipper  to  the  mate,  who 
still  lingered. 

"Ill  cook  some  bloaters.  That's  all  we've  got  now," 
replied  the  mate  sulkily.. 

"  It 's  a  lovely  morning,"  said  Mrs.  Bunker,  as  the  mate 
retired,  "the  air  is  so  fresh.  I  expect  that's  what  has 
made  Rover  so  hungry.  He  isn't  a  greedy  dog.  Not  at 
all." 

"Very  likely,"  said  Codd,  as  the  dog  rose,  and,  afler 
sniffing  the  air,  gently  wagged  his  tail  and  trotted  forward. 
**  Where 's  he  off  to  now  ?  " 

"  He  can  smell  the  bloaters,  I  expect,"  said  Mrs.  Bunker, 
laughing.  "It's  wonderful  what  intelligence  he's  got  Come 
here,  Rover!" 

"BilU"  cried  the  skipper  wamingly,  as  the  dog  con- 
tinued on  his  way.     "  Look  out !     He 's  coming ! " 

"Call  him  off!"  yelled  the  mate  anxiously.  "Call  him 
off!" 

Mrs.  Bunker  ran  up,  and,  seizing  her  chaperon  by  the 
collar,  hauled  him  away. 

"  It 's  the  sea  air,"  said  she  apologetically  j  "  and  he  '■ 
been  on  short  commons  lately,  because  he's  not  been  welL 
Keep  still,  Rover ! " 

"Keep  still,  Rover!"  said  the  skipper,  with  an  air  ol 
command. 

Under  this  joint  control  the  dog  sat  down,  his  tongue 
lolling  out,  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  fo'c'sle  until  the 
breakfast  was  spread     The  appearance  of  the  mate  with  a 


MRS.  BUNKER'S   CHAPERON  235 

oish  of  steaming  fish  excited  him  again,  and  being  chidden 
by  his  mistress,  he  sat  down  sulkily  in  the  skipper's  plate, 
until  pushed  off  by  its  indignant  owner. 

"  Soft  roe,  Bill  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper  courteously,  after 
he  had  served  his  passenger. 

"That's  not  my  plate,"  said  the  mate  pointedly,  as  the 
skipper  helped  him. 

"  Oh  !  I  wasn't  noticing,"  said  the  other,  reddening. 

"I  was,  though,"  said  the  mate  rudely.  "I  thought 
you  'd  do  that.  I  was  waiting  for  it  I  'm  not  going  to  eat 
after  animals,  if  you  are." 

The  skipper  coughed,  and,  after  effecting  the  desired 
exchange,  proceeded  with  his  breakfast  in  sombre  silence. 

The  barge  was  slipping  at  an  easy  pace  through  the 
water,  the  sun  was  bright,  and  the  air  cool,  and  everything 
pleasant  and  comfortable,  until  the  chaperon,  who  had  been 
repeatedly  pushed  away,  broke  through  the  charmed  circle 
which  surrounded  the  food  and  seized  a  fish.  In  the 
confusion  which  ensued  he  fell  foul  of  the  tea-kettle,  and, 
dropping  his  prey,  bit  the  skipper  frantically,  until  driven 
off  by  his  mistress. 

"  Naughty  boy ! "  said  she,  giving  him  a  few  slight  cuffs. 
"  Has  he  hurt  you  ?    I  must  get  a  bandage  for  you." 

"A  little,"  said  Codd,  looking  at  his  hand,  which  was 
bleeding  profusely.  "There's  a  little  linen  in  the  locker 
down  below,  if  you  wouldn't  mind  tearing  it  up  for  me." 

Mrs.  Bunker,  giving  the  dog  a  final  slap,  went  below,  and 
the  two  men  looked  at  each  other  and  then  at  the  dog, 
which  was  standing  at  the  stern,  barking  insultingly  at  a 
passing  steamer. 

"  It 's  about  time  she  came  over,"  said  the  mate,  throwing 
a  glance  at  the  sail,  then  at  the  skipper,  then  at  the  dog. 

"  So  it  is,"  said  the  skipper,  through  his  set  teeth. 

As  he  spoke  he  pushed  the  long  tiller  hastily  from  port 


236  MANY  CARGOES 

to  starboard,  and  the  dog  finished  his  bark  in  the  water ; 
the  huge  sail  reeled  for  a  moment,  then  swung  violently 
over  to  the  other  side,  and  the  barge  was  on  a  fresh  tack, 
with  the  dog  twenty  yards  astern.  He  was  wise  in  his 
generation,  and  after  one  look  at  the  barge,  made  for  the 
distant  shore. 

"  Murderers  !  "  screamed  a  voice  ;  "  murderers  !  you've 
killed  my  dog." 

"  It  was  an  accident ;  I  didn't  see  him,"  stammered  the 
skipper. 

"  Don't  tell  me,"  stormed  the  lady ;  "  I  saw  it  all 
through  the  skylight," 

"  We  had  to  shift  the  helm  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  a 
schooner,"  said  Codd. 

"  Where's  the  schooner  ? "  demanded  Mrs.  Bunker  ; 
"where  is  it  ?  " 

The  captain  looked  at  the  mate.  "  Where's  the 
schooner  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I  b'leeve,"  said  the  mate,  losing  his  head  entirely  at 
this  question,  *'  I  b'leeve  we  must  have  run  her  down.  I 
don't  see  her  nowhere  about." 

Mrs.  Bunker  stamped  her  foot,  and,  with  a  terrible 
glance  at  the  men,  descended  to  the  cabin.  From  this 
coign  of  vantage  she  obstinately  refused  to  budge,  and 
sat  in  angry  seclusion  until  the  vessel  reached  Ipswich 
late  in  the  evening.  Then  she  appeared  on  deck,  dressed 
for  walking,  and,  utterly  ignoring  the  woebegone  Codd, 
stepped  ashore,  and,  obtaining  a  cab  for  her  boxes,  drove 
silently  away. 

An  hour  afterwards  the  mate  went  to  his  home,  leaving 
the  captain  sitting  on  the  lonely  deck  striving  to  realise 
the  bitter  fact  that,  so  far  as  the  end  he  had  in  view  was 
concerned,  he  had  seen  the  last  of  Mrs.  Bunker  and  the 
small  but  happy  home  in  which  he  had  hoped  to  install  her. 


A   HARBOUR   OF   REFUGE 


A  WATERMAN'S  boat  was  lying  in  the  river  just 
below  Greenwich,  the  waterman  resting  on  his 
oars,  while  his  fare,  a  small,  perturbed-looking  man  in 
seaman's  attire,  gazed  expectantly  up  the  river. 

"  There  she  is  1 "  he  cried  suddenly,  as  a  small  schooner 
came  into  view  from  behind  a  big  steamer.  "Take  me 
alongside." 

"  Nice  little  thing  she  is  too,"  said  the  waterman, 
watching  the  other  out  of  the  comer  of  his  eye  as  he  bent 
to  his  oars.  "  Rides  the  water  like  a  duck.  Her  cap'n 
knows  a  thing  or  two,  I  '11  bet." 

"He  knows  watermen's  fares,"  replied  the  passenger 
coldly. 

"Look  out  there!"  cried  a  voice  from  the  schooner, 
and  the  mate  threw  a  line  which  the  passenger  skilfully 
caught. 

The  waterman  ceased  rowing,  and,  as  his  boat  came 
alongside  the  schooner,  held  out  his  hand  to  his  passenger, 
who  had  already  commenced  to  scramble  up  the  side,  and 
demanded  his  fare.     It  was  handed  down  to  him. 

"  It 's  all  right,  then,"  said  the  fare,  as  he  stood  on 
the  deck  and  closed  his  eyes  to  the  painful  language  in 
which  the  waterman  was  addressing  him.  "  Nobody  been 
inquiring  for  me  ?  " 

"Not  a  soul,"  said  the  mate.  "What's  all  the  row 
about?" 

^37 


Z38  MANY   CARGOES 

"  Well,  you  see,  it 's  this  way,"  said  the  master  of  the 
Frolic,  dropping  his  voice.  "I've  been  taking  a  little 
too  much  notice  of  a  little  craft  down  Battersea  way — 
nice  little  thing,  an'  she  thought  I  was  a  single  man,  dy  'e 
see?" 

The  mate  sucked  his  teeth. 

*She  introduced  me  to  her  brother  as  a  single  man," 
continued  the  skipper.  "He  asked  me  when  the  banns 
was  to  be  put  up,  an'  I  didn't  like  to  tell  him  I  was  a 
married  man  with  a  family." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  the  mate. 

'♦He's  a  prize-fighter,"  said  the  other,  in  awe-inspiring 
tones;  "'the  Battersea  Bruiser.'  Consequently  when  he 
clapped  me  on  the  back,  and  asked  me  when  the  banns 
was  to  be,  I  only  smiled." 

"What  did  he  do?"  inquired  the  mate,  who  was 
becoming  interested. 

"Put  'em  up,"  groaned  the  skipper,  "an'  we  all  went 
to  church  to  hear  'em.  Talk  o'  people  walking  over  your 
grave,  George,  it 's  nothing  to  what  I  felt— nothing.  I  felt 
a  hypocrite,  almost.  Somehow  he  found  out  about  me, 
and  I  've  been  hiding  ever  since  I  sent  you  that  note.  He 
told  a  pal  he  was  going  to  give  me  a  licking,  and  come 
down  to  Fairhaven  with  us  and  make  mischief  between 
me  and  the  missis." 

"That'ud  be  worse  than  the  licking,"  said  the  mate 

sagely. 

"Ah!  and  she'd  believe  him  afore  she  would  me,  too, 
an'  we  've  been  married  seventeen  years,"  said  the  skipper 
mournfully. 

"Perhaps  that's" began  the  mate,  and  stopped 

suddenly^ 

"Perhaps  what?"  inquired  the  other,  after  waiting  « 
lyagnn^hlff  time  for  him  to  finish. 


A  HARBOUR   OF   REFUGE  139 

"  H'm,  I  forgot  what  I  was  going  to  say,"  said  the  mate. 
"  Funny,  it 's  gone  now.  Well,  you  're  all  right  now.  You  'd 
intended  this  to  be  the  last  trip  to  London  for  some 
time." 

"  Yes,  that 's  what  made  me  a  bit  more  loving  than 
I  should  ha'  been,"  mused  the  skipper.  "  However,  all 's 
well  that  ends  well.  How  did  you  get  on  about  the  cook  ? 
Did  you  ship  one  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  've  got  one,  but  he 's  only  signed  as  far  as 
Fairhaven,"  replied  the  mate.  "Fine  strong  chap  he  is. 
He 's  too  good  for  a  cook.  I  never  saw  a  better  built  man 
in  my  hfe.  It  '11  do  your  eyes  good  to  look  at  him.  Here, 
cook ! " 

At  the  summons  a  huge,  close-cropped  head  was  thrust 
out  of  the  galley,  and  a  man  of  beautiful  muscular 
development  stepped  out  before  the  eyes  of  the  paralyzed 
skipper,  and  began  to  remove  his  coat. 

"  Ain't  he  a  fine  chap  ? "  said  the  mate  admiringly. 
"Show  him  your  biceps,  cook." 

With  a  leer  at  the  captain  the  cook  complied.  He  then 
doubled  his  fists,  and,  ducking  his  head  scientifically, 
danced  all  round  the  stupefied  master  of  the  Frolic. 

"  Put  your  dooks  up,"  he  cried  warningly.  "  I  'm  going 
to  dot  you  ! " 

"  What  the  deuce  are  you  up  to,  cook  ? "  demanded 
the  mate,  who  had  been  watching  his  proceedings  in 
speechless  amazement. 

"  Cook  1 "  said  the  person  addressed,  with  majestic 
scorn.  "  I  'm  no  cook  ;  I  'm  Bill  Simmons,  the  '  Battersea 
Bruiser,'  an*  I  shipped  on  this  ere  little  tub  all  for  your 
dear  captin's  sake.  I  'm  going  to  put  sich  a  'ed  on  'im 
that  when  he  wants  to  blow  his  nose  he'll  have  to  get 
a  looking-glass  to  see  where  to  go  to.  I  'm  going  to  give 
'im  a  licking  every  day,  and  when  we  get  to  Fairhaven 


240  MANY   CARGOES 

I  'm  going  to  foller  'im  'ome  and  tell  his  wife  about  1m 
walking  out  with   my  sister." 

"  She  walked  me  out,"  said  the  skipper,  with  dry  lips. 

"  Put  'em  up,"  vociferated  the  "  Bruiser." 

"  Don't  you  touch  me,  my  lad,"  said  the  skipper, 
dodging  behind  the  wheel.  "  Go  an'  see  about  your 
work — go  an'  peel  the  taters." 

"  Wot ! "  roared  the  "  Bruiser." 

"  You  've  shipped  as  cook  aboard  my  craft,"  said  the 
skipper  impressively.  "  If  you  lay  a  finger  on  me  it  'a 
mutiny,  and  you  '11  get  twelve  months." 

"  That 's  right,"  said  the  mate,  as  the  pugilist  (who 
had  once  had  fourteen  days  for  bruising,  and  still  held 
it  in  wholesome  remembrance)  paused  irresolute.  "It's 
mutiny,  and  it'll  also  be  my  painful  duty  to  get  up  the 
shotgun  and  blow  the  top  of  your  ugly  'ed  off." 

"Would  it  be  mutiny  if  I  was  to  dot  you  one?" 
inquired  the  *'  Bruiser,"  in  a  voice  husky  with  emotion, 
as  he  sidled  up  to  the  mate. 

"  It  would,"  said  the  other  hastily. 

"  Well,  you  're  a  nice  lot,"  said  the  disgusted  "  Bruiser," 
"  you  and  your  mutinies.  Will  any  one  of  you  have  a  go 
at  me?" 

There  was  no  response  from  the  crew,  who  had  gathered 
round,  and  were  watching  the  proceedings  with  keen 
enjoyment. 

"  Or  all  of  yer  ? "  asked  the  "  Bruiser,"  raising  his 
eyebrows. 

"  I  've  got  no  quarrel  with  you,  my  lad,"  the  boy 
remarked  with  dignity,  as  he  caught  the  new  cook's  eye. 

"  Go  and  cook  the  dinner,"  said  the  skipper ;  "  and  look 
sharp  about  it.  I  don't  want  to  have  to  find  fault  with 
a  young  beginner  Uke  you ;  but  I  don't  have  no  shiikcrs 
aboard — understand  that" 


A  HARBOUR  OF  REFUGE  «4i 

For  one  moment  of  terrible  suspense  the  skipper's  Hfc 
hung  in  the  balance,  then  the  "Bruiser,"  restraining  his 
natural  instincts  by  a  mighty  effort,  retreated,  growling, 
to  the  galley. 

The  skipper's  breath  came  more  freely. 

"  He  don't  know  your  address,  I  s'pose,"  said  the  mate. 

"No,  but  he'll  soon  find  it  out  when  we  get  ashore," 
replied  the  other  dolefully.  "When  I  think  that  I've 
got  to  take  that  brute  to  my  home  to  make  mischief  I 
feel  tempted  to  chuck  him  overboard  almost." 

''It  is  a  temptation,"  agreed  the  mate  loyally,  closing 
hi3  eyes  to  his  chiefs  physical  deficiencies.  "  I  Tl 
pass  the  word  to  the  crew  not  to  let  him  know  your 
address,  anyhow." 

The  morning  passed  quietly,  the  skipper  striving  to 
look  unconcerned  as  the  new  cook  grimly  brought  the 
dinner  down  to  the  cabin  and  set  it  before  him.  After 
toying  with  it  a  little  while,  the  master  of  the  Frolic  dined 
off  buttered  biscuit 

It  was  a  matter  of  much  discomfort  to  the  crew  that 
the  new  cook  took  his  duties  very  seriously,  and  prided 
himself  on  his  cooking.  He  was,  moreover,  disposed  to 
be  inconveniently  punctilious  about  the  way  in  which  his 
efforts  were  regarded.  For  the  first  day  the  crew  ate 
in  silence,  but  at  dinner-time  on  the  second  the  storm 
broke. 

"What  are  yer  looking  at  your  vittles  like  that  for?" 
inquired  the  "  Bruiser  "  of  Sam  Dowse,  as  that  able-bodied 
seaman  sat  with  his  plate  in  his  lap,  eyeing  it  with  much 
disfavour.  "  That  ain't  the  way  to  look  at  your  food,  after 
I  've  been  perspiring  away  all  the  morning  cooking  it." 

•'  Yes,  you  've  cooked  yourself  instead  of  the  meat," 
said  vSam  warmly.  "  It 's  a  shame  to  spoil  good  food  like 
that;  it's  quite  raw," 

R 


t4s  MANY  CARGOES 

"You  eat  it  1"  said  the  "Bruiser"  fiercely;  "that's  wot 
you  've  go  to  do.     Eat  it ! " 

For  sole  answer  the  indignant  Sam  threw  a  piece  at 
him,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew,  snatching  up  their  dinners, 
hurriedly  clambered  into  their  bunks  and  viewed  the  fray 
from  a  safe  distance. 

"Have  you  'ad  enough?"  inquired  the  "Bruiser," 
addressing  the  head  of  Sam,  which  protruded  from 
beneath  his  left  arm. 

"  I  'ave,"  said  Sam  surlily. 

"  And  you  won't  turn  up  your  nose  at  good  vittles  any 
more  ?  "  inquired  the  "  Bruiser  "  severely. 

"  I  won't  turn  it  up  at  anything,"  said  Sam  earnestly,  as 
he  tenderly  felt  the  member  in  question. 

"  You  're  the  only  one  as  'as  complained,"  said  the 
•*  Bruiser."  *'  You  're  dainty,  that 's  wot  you  are.  Look  at 
the  others — look  how  they  're  eating  theirs  ! " 

At  this  hint  the  others  came  out  of  their  bunks  and  fell 
to,  and  the  "  Bruiser  "  became  affable. 

"  It 's  wonderful  wot  I  can  turn  my  'and  to,"  he 
remarked  pleasantly.  "Things  come  natural  to  me  that 
other  men  have  to  learn.  You  'd  better  put  a  bit  of  raw 
beef  on  that  eye  o'  yours,  Sam." 

The  thoughtless  Sam  clapped  on  a  piece  from  his  plate, 
and  it  was  only  by  the  active  intercession  of  the  rest  of  the 
crew  that  the  sensitive  cook  was  prevented  from  inflicting 
more  punishment. 

From  this  time  forth  the  "Bruiser"  ruled  the  roost, 
and,  his  temper  soured  by  his  trials,  ruled  it  with  a 
rod  of  iron.  The  crew,  with  the  exception  of  Dowse,  were 
small  men  getting  into  years,  and  quite  unable  to  cope 
with  him.  His  attitude  with  the  skipper  was  dangerously 
deferential,  and  the  latter  was  sorely  perplexed  to  think  of 
ft  way  out  of  the  mess  in  which  he  found  himself. 


A  HARBOUR   OF   REFUGE  143 

"  He  means  business,  George,"  he  said  one  day  to  the 
mate,  as  he  saw  the  "  Bruiser  "  watching  him  intently  from 
the  galley. 

'*  He  looks  at  you  worse  an'  worse,"  was  the  mate's 
cheering  reply.  "The  cooking's  spoiling  what  little 
temper  he's  got  left  as  fast  as  possible." 

"  It 's  the  scandal  I  'm  thinking  of,"  groaned  the  skipper  j 
*'  all  becos'  I  like  to  be  a  bit  pleasant  to  people." 

"  You  mustn't  look  at  the  black  side  o'  things,"  said  the 
mate;  "perhaps  you  won't  want  to  need  to  worry  about 
that  after  he 's  hit  you.  I  'd  sooner  be  kicked  by  a  horse 
myself.  He  was  telling  them  down  for'ard  the  other  night 
that  he  killed  a  chap  once." 

The  skipper  turned  green.  "He  ought  to  have  been 
hung  for  it,"  he  said  vehemently.  "  I  wonder  what  juries 
think  they're  for  in  this  country.  If  I'd  been  on  the 
jury  I*d  ha'  had  my  way,  if  they'd  starved  me  for  a 
month  1 " 

"  Look  here  1 "  said  the  mate  suddenly ;  "  I  've  got  an 
idea.  You  go  down  below  and  I  '11  call  him  up  and  start 
rating  him.  When  I  'm  in  the  thick  of  it  you  come  and 
stick  up  for  him." 

*' George,"  said  the  skipper,  with  glistening  eyes,  "  you're 
a  wonder.  Lay  it  on  thick,  and  if  he  hits  you  1 11  make  it 
up  to  you  in  some  way." 

He  went  below,  and  the  mate,  after  waiting  for  some 
time,  leaned  over  the  wheel  and  shouted  for  the  cook. 

"What  do  you  want?"  growled  the  "Bruiser,"  as  he 
thrust  a  visage  all  red  and  streaky  with  his  work  from  the 
galley. 

"Why  the  devil  don't  you  wash  them  saucepans  up?* 
demanded  the  mate,  pointing  to  a  row  which  stood  on  the 
deck.  "  Do  you  think  we  shipped  you  becos  we  wanted 
a  broken-nosed,  tenth-rate  prize-fighter  to  look  at  ?  " 


144  MANY  CARGOES 

"  Tenth-rate  I "  roared  the  "  Bruiser,"  coming  oat  on  to 
the  deck. 

"  Don't  you  roar  at  your  officer,"  said  the  mate  sternly. 
"  Your  manners  is  worse  than  your  cooking.  You  'd  better 
stay  with  us  a  few  trips  to  improve  'em." 

The  "  Bruiser "  turned  purple,  and  shivered  with 
impotent  wrath. 

"  We  get  a  parcel  o'  pot-house  loafers  aboard  here,"  con- 
tinued the  mate,  airily  addressing  the  atmosphere,  "and, 
blank  my  eyes !  if  they  don't  think  they  're  here  to  be 
waited  on.  You'll  want  me  to  wash  your  face  for  yo* 
next,  and  do  all  your  other  dirty  work,  you  " 

"  George ! "  said  a  sad,  reproving  voice. 

The  mate  started  dramatically  as  the  skipper  appeared 
at  the  companion,  and  stopped  abruptly. 

"  For  shame,  George ! "  said  the  skipper.  "  I  never 
expected  to  hear  you  talk  to  anybody  like  that,  especially 
to  my  friend  Mr.  Simmons." 

"  Your  wot  f  "  demanded  the  friend  hotly. 

"  My  friend,"  repeated  the  other  gently ;  "  and  as  to 
tenth-rate  prize-fighters,  George,  the  'Battersea  Bruiser* 
might  be  champion  of  England,  if  he'd  only  take  the 
trouble  to  train." 

"  Oh,  you  're  always  sticking  up  for  him,"  said  the  artful 
mate. 

"He  deserves  it,"  said  the  skipper  warmly.  "He's 
always  run  straight,  'as  Bill  Simmons,  and  when  I  hear 
'im  being  talked  at  like  that,  it  makes  me  go  'ot  all 
over." 

"Don't  you  take  the  trouble  to  go  'ot  all  over  on  my 
account,"  said  the  "  Bruiser  "  politely. 

"I  can't  help  my  feelings,  Bill,"  said  the  skipper  softly. 

"And  don't  you  call  me  Bill," roared  the  "Bruiser"  with 
ludden  ferocity.     "  D'  ye  think  I  mind  what  you  and  your 


A  HARBOUR  OF  REFUGE  «45 

little  tinpot  crew  say.     You  wait  till  we  get  ashore,  my 
friend,  and  the  mate  too.     Both  of  you  wait ! " 

He  turned  his  back  on  them  and  walked  oflF  to  the 
galley,  from  which,  with  a  view  of  giving  them  an  object- 
lesson  of  an  entertaining  kind,  he  presently  emerged  with 
a  small  sack  of  potatoes,  which  he  slung  from  the  boom  and 
used  as  a  punching  ball,  dealing  blows  which  made  the 
master  of  the  Frolic  sick  with  apprehension. 

"It's  no  good,"  he  said  to  the  mate;  "kindness  fa 
thrown  away  on  that  man." 

"  Well,  if  he  hits  one,  he 's  got  to  hit  the  lot,"  said  the 
mate.     "  We  '11  all  stand  by  you." 

"  I  can't  always  have  the  crew  follering  me  about,"  said 
the  skipper  dejectedly.  "No,  he'll  wait  his  opportunity, 
and,  after  he 's  broke  my  head,  he  '11  go  'ome  and  break  my 
my  wife's  'art" 

"She  won't  break  *er  'art,"  said  the  mate  confidently. 
"She  and  you'll  have  a  rough  time  of  it;  p'raps  it  would 
be  better  for  you  if  she  did  break  it  a  bit,  but  she's  not 
that  sort  of  woman.  Well,  those  of  us  as  live  longest  'U  see 
the  most." 

For  the  remainder  of  that  day  the  cook  maintained  a 
sort  of  unnatural  calm.  The  Frolic  rose  and  fell  on  the  seas 
like  a  cork,  and  the  "  Bruiser  "  took  short  unpremeditated 
little  runs  about  the  deck,  which  aggravated  him  exceed- 
ingly. Between  the  runs  he  folded  his  arms  on  the  side, 
and  languidly  cursed  the  sea  and  all  that  belonged  to  it; 
and  finally,  having  lost  all  desire  for  food  himself,  went 
below  and  turned  in. 

He  stayed  in  his  bunk  the  whole  of  the  next  day  and 
night,  awaking  early  the  following  morning  to  the  pleasant 
fact  that  the  motion  had  ceased,  and  that  the  sides  and 
floor  of  the  fo'c'sle  were  in  the  places  where  people  erf 
regular  habits  would  expect  to  find  them.    1^  othec 


«4<  MANY   CARGOES 

bunks  were  empty,  and,  after  a  toilet  hastened  by  a 
yearning  for  nourishment,  he  ran  up  on  deck. 

Day  had  just  broken,  and  he  found  to  his  surprise  that 
the  voyage  was  over,  and  the  schooner  in  a  small  harbour, 
lying  alongside  a  stone  quay.  A  few  unloaded  trucks 
stood  on  a  railway  line  which  ran  from  the  harbour  to  the 
town  clustered  behind  it,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  work  or 
life ;  the  good  people  of  the  place  evidently  being  comfort- 
ably in  their  beds,  and  in  no  hurry  to  quit  them. 

The  "  Bruiser,"  with  a  happy  smile  on  his  face,  surveyed 
the  scene,  sniffing  with  joy  the  smell  of  the  land  as  it  came 
fresh  and  sweet  from  the  hills  at  the  back  of  the  town. 
There  was  only  one  thing  wanting  to  complete  his  happi- 
ness— the  skipper. 

"  Where 's  the  cap'n  ?  "  he  demanded  of  Dowse,  who  was 
methodically  coiling  a  line. 

"Just  gone  'ome,"  replied  Dowse  shortly. 

In  a  great  hurry  the  "  Bruiser  "  sprang  on  to  the  side  and 
stepped  ashore,  glancing  keenly  in  every  direction  for  his 
prey.  There  was  no  sign  of  it,  and  he  ran  a  little  way  up 
the  road  until  he  saw  the  approaching  figure  of  a  man, 
from  whom  he  hoped  to  obtain  information.  Then, 
happening  to  look  back,  he  saw  the  masts  of  the  schooner 
gliding  by  the  quay,  and,  retracing  his  steps  a  little, 
perceived,  to  his  intense  surprise,  the  figure  of  the  skipper 
standing  by  the  wheel. 

"  Ta,  ta,  cookie  ! "  cried  the  skipper  cheerily. 

Angry  and  puzzled  the  **  Bruiser  "  ran  back  to  the  edge  of 
the  quay,  and  stood  owlishly  regarding  the  schooner  and 
the  grinning  faces  of  its  crew  as  they  hoisted  the  sails 
and  slowly  swung  around  with  their  bow  pointing  to  the 


"Well,  they  ain't  making  a  long  stay,  old  man,"  said 
a  voice  at  his  elbow,  as  the  man  for  whom  he  had  been 


A  HARBOUR   OF   REFUGE  147 

waiting  came  up.  "  Why,  they  only  came  in  ten  minutes 
ago     What  did  they  come  in  for,  do  you  know?" 

"They  belong  here,"  said  the  "Bruiser";  "but  me  and 
the  skipper 's  had  words,  and  I  'm  waiting  for  'im." 

"  That  craft  don't  belong  here,"  said  the  stranger,  as  he 
eyed  the  receding  Frolic. 

"  Yes,  it  does,"  said  the  "  Bruiser." 

"I  tell  you  it  don't,"  said  the  other.  "I  ought  to 
know." 

"  Look  here,  my  friend,"  said  the  "  Bruiser "  grimly, 
•*  don't  contradict  me.     That 's  the  Fro/ic  of  Fairhaven." 

"Very  likely,"  said  the  man.  "I  don't  know  where 
•he 's  from,  but  she 's  not  from  here." 

"  Why,"  said  the  "  Bruiser,"  and  his  voice  shook,  "  ain't 
this  Fairhaven  ?  " 

"  Lord  love  you,  no  1"  said  the  stranger;  "  not  by  a  couple 
o'  hundred  miles  it  ain't.  Wot  put  that  idea  into  your  silly 
fat  head?" 

The  frantic  "  Bruiser "  raised  his  fist  at  the  description, 
but  at  that  moment  the  crew  of  the  FroNc,  which  was  just 
getting  clear  of  the  harbour,  hung  over  the  stern  and  gave 
three  hearty  cheers.  The  stranger  was  of  a  friendly  and 
excitable  disposition,  and,  his  evil  star  being  in  the 
ascendant  that  morning,  he  took  off  his  hat  and  cheered 
wildly  back.  Immediately  afterwards  he  obtained  unasked 
the  post  of  whipping-boy  to  the  master  of  the  Fro/u,  and 
entered  upon  his  new  duties  at  once, 


m^ 


University  of  Caiifornia 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LiBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


DEC  6 


Form  L9-2 


TUS  LfSKARY 

UNIVERSiTY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANG£L£S 


ilU 


PR 

4821 
J2m 
1897 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  369  782    8 


